Restaurant Review: Route 66 Café, New York City

When I first moved to NYC, the Upper West Side, which is home to the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and the New York Philharmonic, quickly became one of my regular haunts. Unfortunately, this neighborhood is not exactly overflowing with affordable restaurants, and I needed to eat cheap - however, I wasn't willing to settle for fast food or dingy diners. Lucky for me, a friend introduced me to Route 66 Café, and now I never have to worry! Route 66 Café is the perfect place to go when you're looking for an affordable meal, without sacrificing quality. Their varied menu offers something that everyone will enjoy.

Route 66 Café is located just south of Columbus Circle, on 9^th Ave. near 56^th St. The dining room is quite spacious for a New York restaurant, with interesting "travel" themed décor, including a mural-map of Route 66 painted on the wall. Tables are comfortably spaced and the sound level is generally low, making Route 66 Café a great place to enjoy a quiet conversation with friends. Service can be spotty, but it's always polite, and they are more than happy to accommodate rush requests if you're late for the theatre.

As for the food, Route 66 Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 8am until midnight. The menu at Route 66 Café is diner-like, but with a gourmet twist - a welcome addition to a neighborhood full of sub-par diners. Their breakfast options are relatively standard (omelets, pancakes, French toast, bagels), but they do a really good job with execution, and the portions are large. They also have lighter choices, like turkey sausage and egg white omelets with vegetable fillings. For lunch and dinner, they offer a wide variety of soups, sandwiches, burgers, salads, pastas and grilled meat entrees - however, everything is more creative than typical diner fare. Burgers and sandwiches at Route 66 Café come on delectable breads, not supermarket buns. Their enormous salads are particularly good, made with only the freshest vegetables, high-quality greens (no iceberg lettuce here!) and perfectly cooked meats. Their Fettucine Café 66, with Italian sausage, leeks and red peppers in red wine sauce is fabulous - better than the pasta in many Italian restaurants. Route 66 Café also has a smoothie bar, with delicious fresh fruit smoothies and other ice cream and frozen yogurt concoctions. There are abundant vegetarian options, low-fat choices and low-carb dishes to please even the pickiest of dieters.

Truly, you can't go wrong at Route 66 Café. There is something on the menu for everyone, and they can accommodate large groups with ease. The excellent food, combined with a convenient location and great prices, make Route 66 Café a standby - the perfect restaurant when you just don't know where else to go!

Address: 858 9^th Ave. at 56^th St.
Website: www.route66cafeny.com/
Phone: 212-977-7600
Hours: Daily 8am-midnight
Price Range: Breakfast $5-12, appetizers $6-8, sandwiches/salads $8-13, entrees $11-20