The Reading Room

Service is very attentive, great drinks and food, just a bit expensive for the price. We got drinks and two appetizers to share. The octopus was cooked perfectly, sauce it came with was good. Steak toasts also very good, cooked to your preference. Place is within a hotel on lobby floor. Nice atmosphere just very cramped, I had to climb over my chair to sit

Very small restaurant, super cute. Definitely want to get a reservation, I went on a Wednesday night and it was super packed and incredibly loud. Both my friend and I enjoyed our food, I had the steak frites and she had the duck. My meat wasn't that tender and had too much of a char taste for me but was cooked properly. Drinks were great. The key lime pie was huge, and just a little too sweet for me. I prefer more of a tart dessert.

This place is an awesome little gem. Nice upscale bar, great drinks, the vibe is just right and Adam is a real treasure. Just a real nice and welcoming bartender, made our night just talking to him while we went through the menu exploring drink after drink!

Loved this restaurant! Spur of the moment reservations for dinner. One of the best filets I’ve ever had and the mashed potatoes were perfect. My husband had a burger and also said it was one of the best. They have generous portions and the entire staff was so friendly and worked as a team. It was dark in there and provided a great vibe. The restaurant itself is pretty small so I’d definitely recommend a reservation. Would go back!

The grilled octopus was delicious. The burger was mediocre, with a stale brioche bun and a serious deficit of sauce or flavour. Way too many fries. And the fries were really mid. Service was >30% slower than it should have been - for the price point. I like the name / theoretical concept but there was nothing book or reading really about this place. I think they could have learned into it more. Nice ambient environment, slightly loud. Would not go out of my way to come back. Walked in on a Thursday at 7:30 and got a bar seat.

A tiny but gorgeous restaurant inside the Gotham hotel. Reservation is a must for lunch or dinner. The restaurant is decorated with shelves of books to really create the reading room vibe. Accompanied by a lovely bar. From the menu we loved pretty all the things. Mussels were really good, soaked in citrus juice. Skirt steak was tender and juicy. The G&H burger was solid. At the end we got a complimentary dessert for celebration our occasion at the restaurant. The chocolate mousse cake was so good. Service was superb, constantly being checked on and kept us updated on the upcoming items. The restaurant did take a while to get our entree, understandably so since the restaurant got full right when it opened at noon. So not a recommended place to grab lunch quickly. But am excellent restaurant to chill, dine and have some wonderful conversations in company of lots of books.

My mom and I came here for brunch before seeing a Broadway show! The service was great and ambiance was nice! The food was delicious! Good portion sizes and good prices! We didn’t make a reservation so we ate at the bar but that was fine. I would recommend making a reservation so you’re guaranteed a spot. Would definitely recommend and come back again!

My best friend and I had dinner here after work. Our server was Sergio, he was absolutely PHENOMENAL. Not only was he very attentive, he also gave us amazing recommendations. I will be coming back just because of the amazing experience he gave us.

Located in the Gotham Hotel. We showed up moments before there noon opening. We didn't have a reservation and they were already booked for lunch, but they got us a seat at the bar. Place has a relaxed atmosphere. I had the fried chicken sandwich with fries and both were excellent, highly recommend. Service was attentive.

We made reservations here before catching the DWTS show at Radio City Music Hall since it was close (10 minutes walking). Pros - Good layout for a dine in space in the city. Although it was small, and we were seated in the center of the room behind the bar, there was enough space to get in/out of our table without hitting the tables near us. - Ample restrooms downstairs. - Food was good quality, the Bellini was great and arrived quickly. -Decor was unique and made the visit worthwhile. Cons -The music was excessively loud for a 11:00 brunch hour. The music selection was good for a millennial crowd, but the waiter could barely hear us and we had to repeat ourselves multiple times and we could not carry on a conversation. -The portion sizes for breakfast/brunch were small. - Our waiter, while polite and responsive in the beginning, completely disappeared with no further contact with our table after delivering our food. This establishment does not have the option to pay at your table with a QR code like some, so this was a complete mishandling of our table. We waited at least 10-15 minutes after finishing our meals for him to come by and ask for the check. The bussers came by and cleared our table, my husband and I left the table one at a time to use the restroom, and had time to return, and we still waited, scanning the room for our waiter, but he was nowhere in sight. Finally, after waiting way too long and not expecting him to return, we caught the hostess and asked for the check and explained our waiter just disappeared. She apologized and got us our check. I noticed she was also being pulled aside by other surrounding tables asking for things the waiter should have been on top of. After we got our check I saw our waiter rushing up the stairs and the hostess said something to him and looked visibly annoyed, and rightfully so, because she clearly was working his tables for over 10 minutes while also trying to tend the hostess stand. We opened the check, which had no pen to sign, so we had to go back up to the bar and for a pen where the hostess was handling checks. Again, she apologized and we signed the check and left. Our waiter never came back to our table, even after coming back upstairs while we were closing out our check. How he treated us and the hostess cost him a decent tip and a return visit. A note to management, whoever the woman was hostessing on 2/15/26 around 11:30a - noon deserves a raise, she did a great job handling the waiter abandoning several tables. I felt bad she was left in that situation and we did notice.

This was our first stop on our girls' 'Book Tour' day trip (all our stops were book related) to NYC. Located in the Gotham Hotel The Reading Room is close to Grand Central Station. We didn't have a reservation, but they quickly accommodated our party of five. Three in our party had the two eggs which included potatoes, bacon, toast, and fruit, $15, the presentation was nice and everything looked delicious, I had the New Yorker, $17, which is a bagel sandwich with egg, bacon and cheese, served with potatoes. Another in our party had the avocado toast,$15, which had goat cheese and everything bagel seasoning. All the food was prepared nicely and was very flavorful. Service was pleasant and efficient. I felt the prices were a value considering we were in Manhattan. The atmosphere has a cool vibe, there were books on shelves along the walls as well as several old photos.

we came here after work.. This restaurant is in the Gotham hotel.. the restaurant is small but big enough for small groups.. we ordered the coco old fashion and a glass of Chardonnay. To eat I ordered the crab cake sandwich with fries very delicious and all Lump crab meat which is my favorite.. washed it down with a glass of Chianti . my friend had the chicken entrée I forgot the name of it but she said it tasted good.. make sure you make reservations because this place fills up fast.. service was okay, the staff were really busy so not really attentive because they were overwhelmed... Since we were trying to catch up it didnt faze us too much..

Nice breakfast, nothing too fancy. Great coffee, very affordable, and friendly service as well.

Table not ready when we arrived had to wait about 10 minutes, server was very nice but the order did not come the pway we requested and appetizers and salads came with main course. Not good in taking order and fulfilling it correctly. Staff was helpful otherwise. Food was fine, but nothing exceptional. So, plenty of places to eat and sadly won't return here. The decor was fine but again, nothing exceptional.

Cozy spot with nice holiday decor. The service was a little slow but the food made up for it. We started with the bleu gem salad and steak on toast, both of which were excellent. I'd highly recommend the seafood stew and the pork chop and duck breast were great and came with good sides. Definitely a cute spot for a nice holiday meal, especially if you're staying at the hotel or nearby.

Honestly had a pretty solid Saturday brunch here! I had my doubts since this is a hotel restaurant, but we really didn't have any complaints about the food. We made a reservation even though we didn't need it (restaurant was 30% full when we got there). I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes and my husband ordered the eggs benedict which was unique since the eggs were poached and then fried. We shared our dishes which was nice, because if I only had pancakes, I would have gotten tired of my dish quickly (it would be great if they add a side of fruit to this dish). The potatoes and the fruit that came with the eggs benedict were delicious. The server was friendly, and the vibe was nice (the restaurant isn't that big). All in all, spent $25 per person for brunch which is expected in NYC.

Solid place to grab a quick bit for lunch. Had their ceaser salad with bacon added, fried chicken sandwich and the panino. Everything was great, service was great, would come back if in the area.

The Reading Room is such a hidden gem! The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and the service was truly excellent, warm, attentive, and welcoming. I tried the avocado toast and it was absolutely delicious, fresh, and perfectly seasoned. The cappuccino was also delicious (with oat milk) This spot feels like one of those rare finds you want to keep to yourself, but it's too good not to share. Highly recommend!

It was freezing with a heavy snowstorm on its way, so Jamie W and I were very deliberate with our walking route from our Midtown East hotel to see the Sunday matinee performance of "Gypsy" at the Majestic at 3PM. That's what made this an ideal restaurant to have brunch before the show. However, navigational ease was not quite matched by the culinary quality. It was a relatively small space, but it was well appointed and not overly crowded. The New American brunch menu was concise but offered the usual combination of breakfast plates, salads, sandwiches, and a few key appetizers (Photo 5). Jamie ordered the $19 Fried Chicken Sandwich which sounded like a winner with a huge breast on a brioche bun slathered with Asian slaw, green onion, sesame seeds, and spicy aioli (Photo 9). Accompanied by hand-cut fries, the chicken was overcooked almost to the point of being burnt. The aioli did little to lubricate the poultry. I fared better with the $25 Steak Sandwich. I didn't know what cut I received, but I'd guess it was a flank or skirt. More important, although it was a bit chewy, the meat was grilled properly and placed in a split ciabatta with arugula, slow roasted tomato, and horseradish cream (Photo 8). I was happy to get a side salad instead of the fries. The individual restrooms downstairs were a nice touch, and we got to the theatre on time. FOOD - 3 stars...middling brunch fare with execution on the fried chicken sandwich disappointing AMBIANCE - 4 stars...small but well decorated and spacious SERVICE - 3.5 stars...moved quickly but follow-through was a bit lacking TOTAL - 3 stars...a surprising slight miss for us RELATED - Hungry in NYC? Here's my collection of bars and restaurants l've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2YS9ELS

The food was really well prepared. Pork chop dinner was excellent. Service was good - not great. Located in the back of the Gotham Hotel on 46th. Nice, quaint and quiet vibe. A bit small. No coat check, which I hate in this brutal winter season. Also, a bit warm - hard to coordinate in 15 degree weather with sweaters abounding. But, cooler is generally more pleasant. Would return.

We went for a late breakfast on a Friday. My husband enjoyed the Eggs Benedict! I had two over medium eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast. Half of the bacon was burnt to a crisp and not edible, as was half of the "toast" which was actually grilled and pressed bread. Tasted awful..... Our waitress overheard me telling this to my husband and was kind enough to get me another slice which was barely warmed and dragged across the grill and not toasted. Not burnt, but not any better. The fruit was very good. About half of my breakfast was not edible. Our waitress was very sweet and efficient.

Sat at the bar for dinner. Adam, the bartender was so welcoming, knowledgeable, and upbeat. Fantastic service! Had an amazing dinner that he recommended. Beet salad with peri, peri chicken. So delicious. Great experience and food. I will be back!

It was exactly what I expected and more. It's a place that looks like more client business meetings and intimate romance type dinners happen. The service is fantastic and super friendly, and the food was delicious and served with speed, beautiful plate, appearance, and full of deliciousness. This feels like a staple restaurant that a local might go to on a regular basis for special evening, but not so fancy that they couldn't stop by more frequently. There is nothing that we have that evening that wasn't well put together and accurate to the order. This is a white tablecloth place with the neighborhood field, and again the service was friendly, consistent and allowed conversation to flow.

Nice spot tucked away. Food was super service was the best! We would definitely come back.

3 stars Don't get me wrong, we had a fine lunch at The Reading Room but our expectations were much higher due to the 4.4 average rating on Yelp. The hostess was our waiter and bartender! This clearly means that service wasn't great. Drinks weren't great. Food was okay but nothing to brag about. The restaurant is not hard to find, nor is it cozy, or special. It's just a small place to grab a hamburger/salad/sandwich/drink at prices you'd expect to pay in NYC.

Charming restaurant hidden at the back of Gotham Hotel. Welcoming atmosphere and staff, food was delicious, it was an excellent spot for a delightful dining experience with my girls. My favorites were the steak on toast, grilled octopus, and steak frites. I would come back!

We went for a Sunday lunch, it was busy. I ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich with fries. The size of the sandwich is decent- you could easily eat half and save half for later or it's great if you are very hungry. The fry on the chicken was crispy, the inside was still moist, & the slaw on the sandwich added flavor.

thank YOU Adam for exceptional service! first time at this establishment, but have been a bucket list for a while, super appreciate your attentiveness!

Moody bar and lounge vibes, some tables and bar seating available. Was able to make a reservation in advance but it was busy so we had to wait for our table a while before being seated there. The staff was nice and had us sit at the bar and get our drink and food order put in while we were waiting. Food is standard brunch and lunch fare, the steak was really tasty and the fries had a nice crisp to them!

Went here for brunch. It's a cozy restaurant inside a restaurant. Decent quality food and drink. The fried chicken sandwich was good, and also comes with a gajillion fries, so very potato heavy. Service was friendly and helpful.

This place is nicely tucked away and has bar/pub vibes. We dined as a party of 9 for weekday lunch. I had the steak sandwich but it was overcooked, and made me wish I had selected another entree. A guest who had the burger said her meat was also overcooked. The rest of the diners mostly had salads with their choice of protein or the crabcake appetizer as their main dish. We shared fries and the brussel sprouts. Service was friendly. Would be a nice spot for drinks and snacks conveniently located near grand central.

Ok overall good experience. Small place in the Gotham Hotel. Was packed for a Monday night which was a bit surprising. Was hoping with such a small intimate setting for a quiet dinner. Place was very loud. Service was good, as was the meal. Had the steak frites and my guest had the halibut. One main critique, they approached us that they needed our two top table after 1 an hour and 40 minutes. I do not recall anything stating a time limit for dining. Additionally, there were numerous empty/open tables. Kind of spoiled what was an overall pleasant meal.

Enjoyed a comfortable atmosphere, well prepared dishes, and polite service that created a satisfying meal, with only small delays preventing this from being a truly outstanding experience overall for us.

Came for a business lunch. Excellent experience. Was concerned with the bar and small size it'd be loud but we had no problems conversing. The venue is great. The food matched. I got a steak sandwich which was absolutely delicious. Perfectly cooked steak, tasty sauce, tasty fries. Great menu. Can't wait to return and try something else too!

This is tough. I've eaten here twice. Once for dinner and once for breakfast. For dinner we had a lovely piece of beef. The atmosphere and service were lovely and the drinks were strong. Unfortunately breakfast was an entirely different story. We had eggs and pancakes. The food was just so so. Nothing came out hot and the prices were outrageous. Bottom line come first dinner and eat breakfast elsewhere.

Very nice spot with feasible prices for NYC. We stopped here for a quick bite and a cocktail. The Dona noodles were delicious as was the steak bruschetta. Would recommend a stop here if in the area.

Love this spot! Drinks were fantastic. The vibe is very cool. I had the salmon and it was absolutely delicious. Our server Angela was so sweet, attentive, and quick!

The restaurant is in an excellent location, at the intersection of 46th Street and 5th Avenue, with its entrance inside the Gotham Hotel. It gets quite crowded during lunch hours. Though the restaurant itself isn't large, it has a wide variety of drinks at the bar, and its signature burger is really delicious.

Met a friend for brunch here on a Saturday. The space itself is in the bottom of a hotel (I was confused at first). It's warm and inviting... very relaxed and casual, with books lining the walls per the name. Very cozy and inviting. Our waitress was friendly and delivered our order just fine. The kitchen was definitely a bit slow though... it took way longer than it should have to get our food. But we also didn't care since we were busy chatting. We both wound up getting the crispy eggs benedict, which is a traditional benny with the poached egg breaded and deep fried. It was a very nice spin on a traditional benedict and was pretty tasty. I would have personally liked much more hollandaise sauce. But other than that it was great. It WAS very rich though, fair warning. Coffee was strong and plentiful. Would return.

Solid New American restaurant inside The Gotham Hotel (and an outstanding hotel restaurant/bar). Definitely worth checking out if you're at the hotel or in the area, but not sure it's quote worth a trip across town. Cocktails were good and mostly $18 - we liked The Fireside (rye/cherry/vanilla/smoke) and the Caribbean Old Fashioned (rum/amaro/falernum/simple). The Paper Crane (bourbon/aperol/lemon/simple) wasn't as well balanced as we hoped. Food was solid. The mains were excellent, particularly the Halibut with Thai Green Curry. The Baby Beet Salad was fine, but not particularly memorable, and the Steak on Toast was a bit bland (tasted better without the toast). Service was friendly and prompt, and ambience was good - had a dim lodge vibe. They closed surprisingly early (on Wed) - kitchen closed at about 9:15, and last call for drinks was maybe 10ish? We would have hung around longer and chatted otherwise.

The space is interesting - kinda sorta tucked away in the back or side of a hotel lobby? It was definitely buzzing on a Wednesday evening. The octopus appetizer was pretty good. My braised short rib was very rich - rather fatty - and could've been a tad more tender, but overall still delicious.

A tiny but gorgeous restaurant inside the Gotham hotel. Reservation is a must for lunch or dinner. The restaurant is decorated with shelves of books to really create the reading room vibe. Accompanied by a lovely bar. From the menu we loved pretty all the things. Mussels were really good, soaked in citrus juice. Skirt steak was tender and juicy. The G&H burger was solid. At the end we got a complimentary dessert for celebration our occasion at the restaurant. The chocolate mousse cake was so good. Service was superb, constantly being checked on and kept us updated on the upcoming items. The restaurant did take a while to get our entree, understandably so since the restaurant got full right when it opened at noon. So not a recommended place to grab lunch quickly. But am excellent restaurant to chill, dine and have some wonderful conversations in company of lots of books.

A restaurant inside the hotel. Nice decoration. Not many tables so reservation is highly recommended. Food is great! I love steak and frites. The steak cooked just right. Tender and juicy. Mussels are very good. Love this place. Table to table is a little close so if u want romantic date with privacy, prob not the place for you.

Came here with a friend for a last minute happy hour meet up. Great HH menu and quick snack bites. Seats are comfy.

TL;DR - Meh food. Service ok. Ambiance - ok, I guess, small place, but it's not really a negative. Critically 2 stars for meh food. I've tried these appetizers: steak sandwich - meat overcooked and too dry bread. 4 small pieces on a plate Shrimp - Way too overcooked and not pleasant to eat. Poorly spiced as a bonus. Again, only 4 large shrimp on the plate. The Entree: a Salmon. Was served for some reason with skin up, which was burned to a coal-like consistency, on a thin 1/8" layer of mashed potatoes and some thin-sliced grilled veggies, the latter being the best part of the dish. Salmon itself was also overcooked, and while the portion was on the larger side, I didn't enjoy eating it. For $30 entree, I expected more, even in 2025 NYC midtown. Will not come back here.

Love the Reading Room! This is now my go to place by Grand Central. Their cocktails are wonderful as is their food. I've had the cheese board a number of times, steak, tuna crudo, brussels, fries and nothing disappoints! The folks that work there are also super nice! Whenever someone needs a reco in the area I always refer the Reading Room! I expect to be back soon :)

All around excellent and enjoyable dining experience; It's somewhat of a hole in the wall, hidden in a hotel down an unassuming hall in a room that is modern and seems like a library mixed with a bar/dining area. We (3) were able to walk in without a reservation and get sat immediately. Our waitress was super nice and knowledgeable about the food/drinks and helped us pick our meals/drinks, which were absolutely delicious. The oysters were nice and fresh, drinks were well-made, and the steak frites was cooked perfectly. Would definitely go again if I go back to NY

Came here for a birthday dinner. They gave us each a free champagne AND free dessert. We ordered two entrees and an appetizer. The bone marrow was SO SO good! The entrees, however, tasted good but not New American. It's just Thai food with fancier presentation. Service was also extremely slow. We had to ask for menu, for water for check and waited a long time for each. If they hadn't given us free stuff, I would have rated it a 3/5.

As usual, another delightful dinner with family while visiting NYC. The food was great, drinks as well and the very attentive servers made everything gel 100%. Will continue to visit this place when visiting from California. Never disappoints.

Ambiance is bland. Food was a little inconsistent. Tithe service was great. Friendly but a little slow

This spot totally lives up to the hype! Personnel service was notably outstanding. The food quality is high. The service is attentive. The prices don't hurt. Perfect spices. Reasonable costs and friendly service. We'll certainly come back soon!

Quaint, hard to find. You have to walk through an apartment lobby area to get to the restaurant. Atmosphere was nice and welcoming. Food was decent not amazing, Salmon was not great but steak dishes were good. Service was great all staff very attentive.

The food is absolutely delicious. The 12 Oz. Ribeye was perfect. The crab cake was perfect too. You must have the strawberry salad. The service was great, Valentina is special. The ambiance is cute. Small but cute.

Great intimate space for a business meeting over delicious coffee and breakfast. The Reading Room offers a simple breakfast menu that you would expect at a hotel restaurant but with a sophisticated, high-end feel. The cappuccino was made with excellent quality coffee beans and the Crispy Eggs Benedict was delightful. The service was attentive but not overbearing. The space was intimate but not claustrophobic. Highly recommend for a quick bite or business meeting.

What a great restaurant inside of The Gotham hotel! Came here for date night with my boyfriend as we saw it had great reviews and I was honestly shocked it was as empty as it was on a Friday evening. The waitress we had was so attentive and kind, and even the bartender would check in on us from time to time. The food was really tasty and presentation was A+. We got the salmon and the short rib, along with some mocktails/non-alcoholic beer. I'd definitely come back to try their brunch!

Simply amazing. We found this place through Yelp as it was near our hotel. When we arrived in town, it was a brief 6 minute walk. The place was fairly empty for 8:30pm on a Friday, but we grabbed a table because all of these reviews couldn't be wrong! Indeed, they were not. We started with cocktails. I had the "Tristessa", which is one of, if not the best, cocktail I've ever had. I loved it so much, I had two. My wife had the "The Fireside", which was smooth and Smokey. We started with the bone marrow appetizer. I wasn't sure about the eggs and caviar on it, ut man, it was good! The Mrs. ordered the salmon and I had the burger. We both raved. Come here. You won't be disappointed. We are thinking of coming back again before we leave town. A very memorable meal.

Had a great evening at this hidden gem. It's a business inside a business. It's small so I would call ahead for reservations. Luckily they had room to sit us. The drinks were great! We started with mussels then continued with our entrees. I ordered the halibut and it was perfectly made and seasoned. My husband ordered the steak and my daughter ordered the burger. We finished it off with the trio sorbet. Would go back if I'm in the area again.