Translation from English

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Oscar's Brasserie- Waldorf Astoria- Midtown East

Just noticed this place last week

My guess is that since it is at the Waldorf, expectations are raised and then those expectations are often not met

Again, a lot of good reviews but some sour apples

I removed the really old reviews...like 2007 and 2008...too long ago to be relevant

Oscar's American Brasserie

3.0 star rating
18 reviews Rating Details
Waldorf Astoria
50th & Lexington Ave

New York, NY 10022
(212) 872-4913
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)
51 St. (4, 6, 6X)
59 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Price Range:
$$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
No
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Good For:
Breakfast, Lunch
Has TV:
No
Caters:
No
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18 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 53 reviews
    Fort Myers, FL
    7/8/2013 1 check-in here
    I was not impressed.  Vegan friendly.
  • Review from

    Clearwater, FL
    1/27/2013
    We were staying at the Waldorff and came down to Oscar's for breakfast.

    We didn't realize that Sunday morning is buffet only.

    That being said, the buffet was quite good.  There was a made-to-order omelet station and a nice choice of other hot foods and pastries.  I loved the very thick-cut bacon!

    It was a bit pricey at $40 per person, but what do you expect at the Waldorff in NYC?
  • Review from

    Somerville, NJ
    6/9/2013
    Had buffet breakfast here after bachelorette night with my ladies and it was pretty decent. They offered coffee and OJ, scrambled eggs, egg white spinach and sausage thingys, cheese blintzes, pork sausage, apple sausage, pancakes, bacon, and an assortment of cheese, danish, and fruits. Yum.
  • Review from

    • 9 friends
    • 14 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/25/2012
    Made a 9am reservation for the breakfast buffet. Unfortunately came during the UN General Assembly which meant an impromptu metal detector and cavity search. Oh well just chalk it up to a case of the muundays.

    All you can drink fresh squeezed OJ with massive amounts of pulp (if you like). Breakfast buffet was just ok. Had all your american favorites, but the thick cut bacon was just too overcooked and far too jerky like for my taste. Though the shrine of danishes and other baked goods was mesmerizing.

    What really tickled my whistle was when the waiter asked my friend and I (us group of 24 yo/ with proper dress) whether we had any groupon or coupon deals?!! As if we couldn't pay for your snobby pretentious breakfast. And I didn't see them asking the UN officials and their families around us whether they had any coupons!!

    Well at the Waldorf, you can either be treated like money or money can treat you. Oh well... I totally took a complimentary dinner fork/knife as a souvenir.
  • Review from

    Walnut Creek, CA
    5/14/2007 First to Review
    How stupid do I have to be?  I didn't like the vibe at the Waldorf Astoria at 1:30 AM so why the fuck do I imagine that I'll like it any better 9 hours later while nursing a hangover?

    We had breakfast at Raffle's on Saturday morning and that sucked balls, so I thought we should have breakfast elsewhere on Sunday.   My father wanted eggs and sausage, since it's a typical American breakfast and he doesn't get those easily in France.   He also wanted some good protein for his transatlantic flight later that day.   We walked on Lexington a few blocks and came across Oscar's in the Waldorf Astoria.   I hesitated, recalling my scary episode at Sir Harry's the night before, but I thought what the hell... it's only breakfast.

    Breakfast was good, actually.   My stomach was really pissed off at all the alcohol I'd consumed the night before so eggs were out of the question.   I had an assortment of bakery items and a mango smoothie:  don't ask... I always order weird items when I'm hungover as if somehow the vitamins will magically repair all the damage I've done to my liver within minutes.   My father splurged and had 2 eggs sunny side up with sausage and he ordered a side order of sausage, so... well, he was happy.   Coffee was good, service was nice, food was very good: not great, but good.  That's an overwhelming 4 stars.

    Patrons around, though... What is it?  Do you somehow have to become a certified prick once you reach a certain net value of $1 million?   I'm not saying we were surrounded by rich pricks, because there were plenty of commoners such as ourselves here at Oscar's.   Still, statistically speaking, the odds were skewed in favor of the rich here at Oscar's, and we were met with attitude, unfriendliness, snobbery, what have you...   I didn't really let it affect me, but I guess it still did, a little bit.

    3 stars it is, because as I said the food was good and the service was friendly:  the people working here were very helpful and had a smile on their face.   Thank god because they were apparently the only ones!
  • Review from

    Saint Louis, MO
    12/18/2011 1 check-in here
    Sub-par Thanksgiving buffet. Our first strange encounter was while ordering drinks. As we went around the table, three people in, the waiter suddenly turned and ran (literally scurried away) without notice or provocation. The supervisor happened to catch our reaction and came over to see what was going on. The waiter returned a few moments later and we went along ordering.

    The buffet items were limited and not all that good. The pumpkin pie (a Thanksgiving staple) was mushy and they ran out (although the same supervisor returned with a stolen slice for me). The rolls were stale and the only notable good thing was the cheese selection.

  • Review from

    • 236 friends
    • 410 reviews
    San Diego, CA
    6/7/2010
    Really surprisingly bad food especially since this is suppose to be the famous Waldorf Astoria! I expected a lot more! The food was pretty bad. We had the famous Waldorf salad and my first thought was "Is it suppose to taste like that?" The bread was cold and so was the butter. We also had the crab and brie soup which was so bland. There really wasn't any flavor so maybe it's meant for someone with a more sophisticated palate or maybe someone who has lost all of their taste buds - who knows? Even the McMurray Pinot Noir that they carried could have been better.

    Service was basically non existent - even at the bar! We might as well have thrown our money on the streets - at least then a homeless person would have benefited.
  • Review from

    • 55 friends
    • 171 reviews
    Chicago, IL
    5/12/2009
    I recently had breakfast here while staying at the Waldorf=Astoria for a business function.  I was presented with a menu, and all breakfast entrees were $24+.

    Because I was in a hurry anyway, I ended up ordering a bagel (which came with its obligatory New York-style slab of cream cheese) and an orange juice, which was fresh squeezed and REFILLED more often than my water is topped off at most places.

    The bagel, juice, tax, and tip ran me $21.  Good, but pricey - this is definitely Expense Account territory.
  • Review from

    • 22 friends
    • 3 reviews
    Papillion, NE
    12/30/2010
    Looks may be deceiving!  Beautiful presentation for the breakfast buffet when you walk in.  However, not laid out the best.  We had to ask for several things that they forgot to bring out.

    Pancakes were on the menu, which our 6 year old wanted.  The waitress said they would make them for us at the omelet station only to go up there and them tell us "No, we have waffles (hard as a rock waffles, which no amount of syrup would help).  To which we replied "It's on the menu."  We had to show her it was on the menu and then she called room service to deliver the pancakes at our table.  How Bizzare!

    My husbands omelet was way undercooked and he couldn't eat it.  There is a very strange salad bar available with all kinds of yummy toppings but who wants a salad for breakfast?

    The shrimp cocktail was quite yummy so that's why I gave it one star.  The service and everything else was not good!

    Not a good experience at the wonderful known Waldorf Astoria.  Please fix up your restaurant!


  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 30 reviews
    Ridgefield, NJ
    4/24/2010
    The place is not bad, food is OK and service is adequate but very pricey, even for mid-town.  Used to work in the area and lunches were on company account so not much pain in that area.  It's definitely a place to visit and  try at least once.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Corpus Christi, TX
    5/25/2009
    I recently stayed at the Waldorf and asked the concierge where to eat a nice late breakfast.  He replied that there were several restaurants in the hotel but that downstairs was better.  If Oscar's is the best the Waldorf can do the others must be real pits.

    We ordered eggs benedict  and were served two bulletproof "pouched" eggs covered with tasteless yellow goo trying to pass for Hollandaise with a side of over spiced potatoes and a mundane fruit cup.  The coffee was of the burned "Starbucks" variety.  As I was still hungry after I ordered a single pancake and a small glass of milk.  I got an order of pancakes and beaker of milk.  The pancake was the worst - flat, gummy, tasteless except for the odor of vanilla served with rock hard butter and very good Vermont syrup.   The syrup however did not make up for the flat pancake.  And all this luxury for a mere $150.00 with the tip!

    If you are in NYC and at the Waldorf there is a Mikey D's down the street - Oscar's at the Waldorf is not a breakfast hot spot.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 38 reviews
    Princeton, NJ
    7/12/2011
    It was nothing impressive but overall pleasant dinner.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 35 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    12/11/2011
    Had the breakfast buffet, and it was absolutely magnificent.  Perfect Lox, perfect pastries-just sweet enough but not syrupy sweet, lean bacon.  Worth the price in every way.  Great friendly servers to add to the pleasure

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