Library Café
Latest Reviews
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Tasty Pub Fare in Farmingdale. I have been to Library Caf several times with either my brother or spouse over the last decade. It has more of a sports…
Charles Harkins
Library Café
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I tried...twice. This week was the second time I tried to attempt this restaurant and it was the second time I walked out because there apparently is …
Jmol
Library Café
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Decor and atmosphere was cool, the bartender we get pours a perfect guiness topped off with shamrocks and such. Appetizers were good, would probably g…
C To The Ookie
Library Café
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Library Caf serves American and Bar Food. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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8 Reviews on “Library Café”
I tried…twice. This week was the second time I tried to attempt this restaurant and it was the second time I walked out because there apparently is no hostess or as it seemed any staff at all. Maybe this is a seat yourself type place but I stood there for about 10 minutes since I was waiting for friends anyway and not one person approached me to ask if I would like a table. I’ve heard good things about the food but I’m not willing to give this place a third chance. There are plenty of great restaurants in LI with far superior service I would rather give my money to.
Decor and atmosphere was cool, the bartender we get pours a perfect guiness topped off with shamrocks and such. Appetizers were good, would probably go else where for a diner.
Food Hound: Tidbits – The Library Cafe. Welcome all you Food Hounds out there… it’s Brim again bringing you another Food Hound: Tidbit, this time from The Library Cafe. First and foremost – the cool factor for this specific location, is that it was literally the Village Library up until they converted it into an eatery about eleven years ago. That being said, the pure uniqueness of this Farmingdale hot-spot is second to none that we have personally seen thus far in terms of ambiance alone. Thirty-foot ceilings offer a feeling of wide open space offering any seat in the house a dynamite view! The bar was astounding taking up an entire length and height of the wall with rows of various liquors including a VERY interesting bottle of ‘King Louis’ a 75 year old cognac that goes for $165 a shot! In a nutshell, this place is a standout on a small strip full of bars and eateries that specializes in Martini’s, Wines, Beer and most importantly… fine foods! Etan Wish and I could not wait to dig in and give it a shot.We started off with a variety of different goodies that they call appetizers… The Sicilian Wings we’ve never seen before. They had a delightfully mellow flavor and offered a light touch of cheese via the mozzarella with drizzled garlic and oil to taste. The Chipotle BBQ wings were tangy with a hint of spice. Neither wings were crispy; however they were certainly NOT mushy and had a simple yet delicious taste, no overwhelming saucing needed. The Tuna Tataki can best be described as a refreshing taste with a bite! Seared Tuna with a helping of an avocado puree and a jalapeno served on a crispy-crunchy wonton crisp. In accordance with St. Patty’s Month, we decided to dine on some Mini-Reubens that we doused with a killer Grain Mustard on a toasted cocktail rye (which was a nice touch), covered in kraut with a hint of the Swiss. Our last starter was the best of all… Southwestern Chicken Spring Rolls! The Spring Roll was an awesome blend of corn, black beans and Cheddar with a fantastic spicy seasoned chicken tucked away in an Asian style egg-roll shell.One of the BIG things that the Library Cafe is known for is the tremendous variety of special promotions for every day of the week including deals on beer, wine and lots of delectable eats! The Lessings (the family name) make their own blends of beer and wine (all toting the Lessings Family Crest). We sampled the Lessings Local Ale brewed locally here on Long Island at Blue Point Brewery in accordance with the Lessings family. Although I am not a beer drinker, I will admit that the beer went down smooth, without the aftertaste that other brews have. Another interesting drink that we tried was a VERY nummy Martini called, ‘The Notebook’ which offers a raspberry sugar rimmed glass, Absolut Mango Vodka, Chambord, Coconut Rum (Parrot Bay), Pinapple Juice & a splash of Grenadine. On top of all that… they do their own wines too! Best time to sample the wine is on Wednesday’s when the bottles are offered at half off all day and night.On to the Entrees!!! The Chicken Bruschetta was off the hook! A large portion of TWO crisped pan fried cutlets (pan fried makes a HUGE difference in retaining the flavors), intertwined with asiago cheese, tomato basil, kalamata olive bruschetta and laid over a colorful generous bed of Arugula Salad then drizzled with aged balsamic. Ladies and Gentlemen, I declared this the WIN for the day! To my surprise, Etan argued with me that his choice for the WIN was the Killer Mac & Cheese! It was hard to agree to make it another TIE; but I’ve got to tell you… a four cheese sauce with SMOKED BACON, BBQ PULLED PORK (D-lish), topped with butter and bread crumb crust and corkscrew pasta really made it a tough call. Ok… a TIE WIN for these two game changers! Lastly, we were presented with a nicely sized Marinated Skirt Steak with crispy fried onions covering a heaping load of mashed potatoes. I asked for it well-done; but knowing how delicate skirties can be, I should have went medium-well to avoid being ‘too’ well-done for my personal taste… my fault on that one folks. The steak held a lightly seasoned flavor that worked very well when scooped up with the mashed and onions.OMG… the specialty desserts were mind-blowing! Cinnamon Buns made fresh from scratch were warm, gooey and had a fantastic doughy texture! Followed up with a Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with a UBER-THICK fudgie ganache flowing like Wonka’s wading rivers from the center of a delicious and moist chocolate cake. WINNING! At last, I felt as though I took a ride to Tasty Town and this next baby was the Mayor… a slam-tastic Banana Chocolate Empanada with toasted pecans! Toasted pecans were a nice addition to this dessert. The shell was light and crispy reminiscent of old school Hostess Apple Pies, except fresh, warm and delicious! Day or night, you’ve gotta drop by and tell’em the Food Hounds sent you!
Disappointing. Food was terrible. Frozen shrimp, overcooked fish, boiled chicken instead of grilled, mushy pasta swimming in god knows what. Didn’t bother to serve the sides that come with the dishes. Forgot to microwave the obviously prepackaged molten lava cake before serving it and then put it the microwave, along with the ice cream, to try to remedy this instead of just doing it over. Took 20 minutes to throw cold shrimp appetizer in the martini glass and serve it and another 15 for my boyfriend’s plain green salad. So not worth the stomach ache, over $80 and 2 1/2 hours of my life.
The food here is good. Not a huge selection on the menu, but it’s good quality. The place is sort of loud and the service is ordinary. It’s great for a nice lunch, but it’s missing something for me.
Library Cafe. Stopping in for lunch and approaching the bar for a menu was a bit of a surprise… it was the exact same menu of a place we just ate at a week prior, The Post Office cafe… This company owns just under a dozen places and the menu is shared by about 3 or 4 of them. There are some good finds on the menu but nothing out of this world. The atmosphere of the Library, was just that… library-ish, only loud, and not many good reads, and um, they have food… oh well, they tried. I don’t feel the need to return as the Post Office cafe was cuter, flashier, had better service, and has an identical menu.
Terrible food, microwave quality. Service was ok, but loud ambiance. Misleading name, not family or couple environment. Warning – watch out for the bouncer.