Rating: 
You should be wary of an Upper West Side brunch spot with a dining room only half full at noon on a Saturday. Indeed, Arte Café’s first impressions are less than impressive – a disorganized front of house; out of date décor; stale muffins tossed carelessly on the table. They advertise $12 unlimited brunch cocktails; but in reality it is $14 – and the Bloody Mary we ordered took 20 minutes and a nudge to our server before it appeared, making it difficult to take advantage of the “All You Can Drink” claim. Then again, the food took a total of 45 minutes to arrive, so there was time for a second round.
The traditional breakfast fare is just that: uninventive and familiar plates like a spinach and goat cheese omelette ($10, served with dry mixed greens and overcooked, over seasoned home fries); eggs benedict ($10) and brioche French toast ($10). Since Italian food is their specialty, you are better off ordering a savory, non-breakfast item like a very tasty Margherita Pizza ($12) or the Ravioli Vodka ($16), which is hard to screw up (and they don’t). The French fries served with the brunch sandwiches are cooked to golden perfection; we recommend The Best BLT ($12), dressed with rosemary aioli. The coffee is surprisingly excellent.
The dining room is very quiet, with tables placed at a comfortable distance from each other; making this a good choice for an intimate brunch. Families with children or hard of hearing elders might find Arte Cafe a nice alternative to the crazed power brunch spots in the neighborhood. Keep in mind that any time you gain by being seated immediately will be lost to the haphazard and confused service. Still, the waiters seem to be trying their best – two staff members came to our rescue when a child’s toy (aka distraction) ran out of batteries; but if we hadn’t been waiting three times longer than necessary for our meals, that never would have happened in the first place.
106 W. 73rd St. (bet. Amsterdam & Columbus Aves.)
New York, NY 10023
