MY REVIEW: Anita's Cafe and Deli

Anita's Cafe and Deli

3rd Avenue recently got a new addition to its lineup of bars, restaurants and specialty shops, the newly-christened ANITA'S CAFE & DELICATESSEN.

Located in what was the former MANHATTAN CENTER MARKET on 3rd Avenue between East 34th/East 35th street, the new place has a huge obstacle to overcome from the start. For starters, the last tenant, MANHATTAN CENTER MARKET left under murky circumstances, leaving its employees high and dry without pay and their stock in the store to sit and rot for months, causing a major eyesore and health concerns for everyone around it for months.

So when it was said that a new deli would be opening in its place, there was a mix of optimism and skepticism among the residents of Murray Hill. One thing that we learned during the "hiatus" between MANHATTAN's closing and the opening of ANITA's was that a deli in that location was nice to have. Especially one that was open 24 hours like the previous one was. So when ANITA's finally opened up last Wednesday, there was a smile on a lot of faces when it was revealed that it would be a 24 hour spot.

Upon entering the location, you could instantly see that the new owners put a lot of time and energy getting the place cleaned up and spruced up. I mean, the way the last tenant left the place, it needed nothing short of a grenade to blow the place up and start over again, it was that bad. But they got it done and the place looks great..... unfortunately that's where the positives end.

If you look at the salads in the glass case for example, it looks as if it's suffering from the same fate as the previous tenant's; the not-so-fresh look as if it's been sitting for days. I wonder if it's the same unit as the one the previous tenant used.

More importantly, the biggest complaint that I and others share are the portions that you receive. For example, if you go to Murray Hill Market (on East 34th/Lexington Ave), you order say a Turkey/Brie sandwich on wheat bread for $6.00. You can be rest assured that your sandwich is going to have a healthy amount of turkey and brie. In other words, you're going to get bang for your buck. However, you order the same sandwich at ANITA's, you'll pay the same price for half the size. What's wrong with that picture. Now I've ordered sandwiches from ANITA's on several occasions, just to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the results keep coming back the same.

The same complaints apply to their coffee and their pricing in general. Lots of inconsistencies which makes for a pain in the ass experience. It's still early and they have a chance to get things worked out. However, if they don't do it soon, they aren't going to last very long.



Nuff Said