Here’s the UWS Dish: Cafe Luxembourg’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich

By Yana Krasnitskaya

Hello! Hello! My name is Yana and I am your new “Here’s the UWS Dish” columnist, taking the reins from Abigael Sidi as she embarks on her next chapter: college.

A little about me. I’m originally from Ukraine, but grew up in a not-so-sunny part of California – San Francisco. I’ve lived on the Upper West Side on and off for years, and I have always found the neighborhood fascinating both for its strong community and its openness to new things. I see this most vividly in its food and restaurant scene — and I’m so excited to take you all on this journey where I get to combine my two greatest loves: dining and writing.

My predecessor left some very hefty shoes to fill, so the pressure was on when it came to deciding what to write about in my first column. Should it be the most delectable onigiri from Shibashi72 or my standard order of shrimp enchiladas from Playa Betty’s? Or should I go straight into waxing poetic about my favorite wine bar, Vanguard?

Then it hit me: Why not write about a dish that takes me back to my childhood but is also one of my favorite grown-up indulgences right here on the Upper West Side: Cafe Luxembourg’s grilled cheese sandwich.

Eating a cheese sandwich is a memory that has replayed itself in my mind many times over the years: an open, airy kitchen; the sound of a soap opera blaring from a tiny television set; my grandmother drinking a lukewarm cup of instant coffee while I noshed on what would remain my standard breakfast even after we moved to America. A thin slice of rye bread. Cheese so full of holes it resembled the crocheted doily under my plate. Held together by a generous slab of soft butter that was a staple in my Ukrainian grandma’s kitchen. Even now as I write this, the memory makes my mouth water. My only regret is that no one thought to throw the entire thing under a broiler or into the toaster oven.

Lucky for us on the Upper West Side, Cafe Luxembourg does exactly that with the grilled cheese ($25) on their menu. The bread – a rye sourdough – is subtly tangy and very sturdy, making you work for each bite, but oh is it worth it, especially when you get to the ooey-gooey center. Cheese is the undisputed star here; a sumptuous combination of sharp, aged cheddar and the reliably nutty Gruyere. Side note: the waiter will ask if you want cheddar, gruyere or both. Always say both. You can also add thick-cut bacon or tomato slices, but one would ask why? The composition of the bread and cheese alone is perfect – a burst of flavor that can easily transport you to the streets of Paris or to a sunny kitchen in a town in Central Ukraine, or at the very least, have you leaning back against the upholstered maroon cushions reminiscent of an old school diner and letting out a long, satisfied sigh.

Like all the sandwiches on Cafe Luxembourg’s menu, the grilled cheese comes with your choice of french fries or a side salad, both of which are excellent and warrant their own columns. The salad is bright and refreshing, a mix of greens, butter lettuce and, on occasion, radicchio if you’re lucky. The dressing adds the perfect coat of acidity and is interspersed with finely chopped shallot that becomes a lovely palate cleanser for the buttery combo of bread and cheese. I have to confess though: As much as I love this salad, I am only human, and will nine times out of 10 ask for fries on the side. I’m specifically partial to the fact that they come with ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise – in this economy? What a treat!

Originally opened in 1983 by popular New York restaurateur Keith McNally and his wife, Lynn Wagenknecht, Cafe Luxembourg has a less titillating history and reputation than its sister restaurants – the celebrity downtown hot spot, The Odeon, and the perpetually frenetic Balthazar, to name a few. In the four decades since it’s been opened, neither the restaurant nor the menu has changed very much, which in an ever-evolving food city like New York can feel like you’ve found a diamond in the rough. The restaurant interior remains a lovely homage to the brasseries of Paris – the seating is tight, the bar is always full, and the grilled cheese, while not as hot an item as the Luxemburger ($29) or the moules frites ($34), stands majestic against the simple white plate as the server sets it down in front of you.

I moved back to the Upper West Side (for good this time – I just bought an apartment) during a particularly blustery March back in 2024. That very first weekend in my new place, I made a brunch reservation at Cafe Luxembourg. As I waited in the tight space between the bar and the host stand, I watched as servers expertly navigated the narrow walkways between tables balancing trays of coffee and cocktails, and plates piled high with the expected brunch staples. One patron caught my eye – a little girl sitting at two-top with her mom. The massive smile that spread across her face when the grilled cheese made it to their table was infectious. It made me incredibly curious, so much so that I nearly missed someone elbowing me in the back. That person happened to be none other than Martin Short – another Upper West Side staple, but even he couldn’t tear me away from the real star of the show: the grilled cheese.

When my friend finally arrived and we were seated, she opened the large laminated menu and asked me what I planned on having. I didn’t need to look. I already knew.

The Dish: Grilled cheese sandwich ($25)
The Restaurant: Cafe Luxembourg, 200 West 70th Street (between Amsterdam and West End avenues)

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