Tea Box Cafe

Location: 693 5th Ave., New York, NY
Cuisine: Japanese
Hours: MON-SAT (11:45am-5:30pm)
Phone: (800) 753-2038
Website: www.takashimaya-ny.com/cafe.php
Prices: $20/person
Credit Cards: All major

Food: 8
Service: 7
Value: 6
Environment: 6

Frequency: Unique

Today was the day I was able to get most of the cousins together for Jen's weekend visit. She had plans to go to MoMA for the afternoon, so I searched for restaurants near there. Tea Box Cafe looked interesting because it was Japanese, but had many items I had never seen before. It was almost like American stlye foods (sandwiches and salads), but with Japanese ingredients. I headed out a little early to look for backups in case it ended up being too crowded or not the right setting for a comfortable sit-in meal. When I got there, I couldn't find the place right away. I didn't write down the address, thinking it would look obvious with just the 5th Ave. & 54th St. intersection. A Japanese cafe should stand out on 5th Ave. After passing the intersection twice, I checked the address on my cellphone and walked into a building lobby. Then I went to the other entrance next to it, which was a furniture store called Takashimaya and they had a sign for Tea Box Cafe on the lower level.

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The food turned out to be as interesting as advertised, but I felt the portions were too small for the price paid. The chicken sandwich I had felt like half a sandwich. The service seemed OK. We had no issues on our table. The food was served quickly and we weren't rushed despite the line at the entrance. I did hear another table complain that their order was too slow though.

The environment was a bit plain, but clean. I think part of the reason for the emptiness is because Takashimaya is closing down and likely taking Tea Box Cafe with it. It's too bad I didn't find out about this place earlier. It's a nice little hidden place to take out of town guests.