Midtown Lunch

A first visit to Open Kitchen on William St. (at Beaver) did not go well. Not all of the stations were open, things seemed disorganized, and the employees didn’t seem to be on their game. Did I mention the food I got was not that great, but they do have good coffee? Luckily, this time the food was better and the operation seemed to be running more smoothly.  Read more »

The newest addition to the genre of lunch spots serving many different types of things and having a by-the-pound buffet is Open Kitchen on William St. (at Beaver). The place occupies a huge retail area on the bottom floor of the William Beaver House condo building, and it’s perhaps the least-crowded lunch experience I’ve had.

Not all of the stations were up and running (still to come: Stir fry, ramen and specialty sandwiches), but most others were, along with the buffet which featured items that looked a bit tastier than the usual offerings. Prices are a bit higher than at the generic delis in the area, but the surroundings are also nicer, and they serve fancy Intelligentsia coffee. The good and bad about my lunch experience on what was essentially Open Kitchen’s opening day, straight ahead.

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The large retail space at the bottom of the distinctive yellow William Beaver House condo building at William & Beaver revealed itself to be Open Kitchen a few weeks back. A fellow Lunch’er who works nearby reporter late Friday that the place was open for business. A commenter on the original post, who no doubt is in on the project, says it will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The “gourmet marketplace” will have prepared foods, said the commenter, along with a hot/cold buffet and an “international selection of foods prepared to order.” From the look of the place, it will be a step above a generic deli, but be prepared for a review soon.

I’d seen work being done on the massive retail space on William St. (nr. Beaver) for quite some time, but there were no signs of what would be coming. Now we have the answer as the paper came down on the windows and signs went up proclaiming it to be Open Kitchen.

It will be a gourmet coffee shop and market, and the inside – walls covered in white subway tile, nice light fixtures hanging from the ceiling – looks like somewhere I’d actually like to eat lunch. If nothing else, I’m sure those of you working in the area will welcome an alternative to Starbucks coffee.