by Mel Yerkey on I'm still really mixed about this place, but left happy so I decided to give it 4 stars. Here is my opinion: Upon entering Cafe Lift, I was a little nervous. The phrase "never judge a book by it's cover" doesn't apply to me eating in restaurants since I'm a tad OCD and things need to look a certain way for me to be happy. Nonetheless, we were seated quickly at a quaint booth to the side of the room and given menus. My pleasure with our table quickly dissipated after hearing the girl seated to my right speak. "Oh what an f-in f-, he is like, such a, like, f-in jerk. Like. Ugh." This conversation went on the entire time we were there, but hey, you can't control who walks in your front door so I won't hold it against Cafe Lift. I have to agree with the comment below about this place resembling a hispter cafeteria. It definitely does, but not in an offensive way and it gives the place character, so I liked it. We took a gander at the menu, and after ordering some coffee we made our selections. The "Nutty Monkey" crepe for me, and the Frittata for my other half. The crepe was humongous, covered in a dollop of whipped cream. I was expecting it to be warm and melty, so I was a little disappointed when I took my first bite and it was cold. There was nutella and some freshly sliced banana inside, and although not warm, it was certainly delicious. The frittata was wonderful as well, and came with some breakfast potatoes on the side. Our meal amounted to $22, not bad for coffee and brunch. Take heed: this place is CASH ONLY, but they do have an ATM in the corner in case your wallet is empty. (A surcharge of $1.50 - not bad for the city in our opinion). It got very busy after we were there for a while (around 11:30 it was packed), so when it came time to get the bill and our change, it did take a few minutes to flag someone down. The servers were all SO friendly and we really enjoyed ourselves. I would definitely recommend it for a casual brunch with friends.
by Carlo Eveleigh on Remember that time you went to a bar and thought "wait, am I on a cruise ship?" because there was an above-ground version of shuffleboard and a giant vat of water and lots of people wearing sailor outfits? That's what coming to El Rio is like. Well, minus the sailor outfits. I think that was just a secret wish.
by MiRIAM w. on I can see why this is my doppelganger's favorite bar! It's charming through and through, from the friendly, laid-back, bar staff with their cute accents, to the patrons with their dogs and motorcycles who seem to co-exist peacefully while drinking Hooegaardens and Boddingtons on the sidewalk out front. Not an ounce of pretension detected here! It's also a great place to view a New York sunset.
