Cafeteria is a glossy, all-white reinvention of the American diner on the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 17th Street in Chelsea. Since opening in 1998, it has fed club-goers, fashion crowds and night-shift locals comfort food late into the night, and its cameo in Sex and the City made it a fixture of downtown nightlife lore.
The room is sleek and minimalist, with banquettes and a floor-to-ceiling glass frontage that turns Seventh Avenue into a running show. Diners lean on retooled classics. The macaroni and cheese, often ordered as a trio of variations, is the signature dish. Fried chicken and waffles, meatloaf and towering burgers round out the menu, alongside cocktails that suit a 1 a.m. second wind. Weekend brunch draws a well-dressed crowd recovering from Saturday night, and the people-watching rivals the food.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Cafeteria was once famous for 24-hour service, but its hours have shifted in recent years, so confirm current late-night times before heading over. Weekend brunch brings the longest waits. Reserve ahead or arrive before 11 a.m. Weeknight evenings are calmer, and the stretch after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays shows the restaurant at its liveliest. The 1 train stops at 18th Street, a block away, and the 14th Street stations for the 1/2/3 and F/M lines are within a short walk. Chelsea Market and the High Line are roughly ten minutes west on foot, which makes Cafeteria an easy stop before or after a gallery crawl.
