Nice ambiance and music. As for our waiter he was slow it took him half hour to bring out our appetizers and a few mins after that our entrees arrived we had not even finished our appetizers. But he apologized and didn't charge us for our first round of drinks. Which was very professional of him. The food and drinks was great. I wanted to give this establishment 5 stars but the slow staff took away from that. I will be back again. Hopefully the service will be better. read more

We had an absolutely fun time at BK9. The experience began with a welcoming greeting and quick seating. The mango margarita was delicious and the mango did not overpower the margarita.... And it was a good size. I came to taste the oxtail empanada and the oxtail meal. The empanadas were perfect: flaky but firm crust, well succulent braised oxtail filling, no filler in the filling only really good and tender oxtail, the beet puree was a tasty complement. Unfortunately, they are missing a star from me because they ran out of oxtail so I was disappointed that a Caribbean restaurant would run out of oxtail 5 hours before they close! I also ordered the punch de creme and was first told a 20 minute wait and then told it became unavailable for the night. My friends ordered the crusty snapper ans the pork chop but will write their own reviews. Fortunately for BK9 we had a fantastic waitress who really made the experience very worthwhile. We were definitely not neglected by anyone....we were there (at the chefs table) for 3 hrs eating, talking, drinking and laughing and they never once made us feel unwelcome....our waitress kept checking on us and bringing us water and cassava bread. I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and the jazzy ambiance. I will definitely go back because I still have to taste the Oxtail entree and I'd they are like the empanada, they will be exquisite. Maybe they will then have some sorrel on the menu...maybe even a sorrel tasting cocktail! Ooooooo. read more

First time here and I must say I really enjoyed the food, staff and atmosphere. I'll definitely will be returning. The food was so good I end up ordering the oxtail hash, and chicken and waffles in one sitting. read more

I've been here twice for their bottomless brunch option, each for a friend's birthday. While they were able to accommodate a party of 8-10 people, the food and drinks were substantially low in the quality, making it not worthy of the price. The oxtail hash was bland and were the size of a child's portion. My food was also served cold. They give you about 2 baby potatoes, cut in half. Minimal ox tail meat. Heavy on the canned peas and carrots. Very little spice, not enough to help you appreciate the oxtail meat. They should recommend you have the oxtail hash with poached eggs. I have also had the eggs Benedict option but don't waste your time or money, it's just alright. The sauce was rich, overcompensating for the unseasoned plantain and the fatty pork. The bottomless brunch will get you toasted quickly, enough to distract from the overpriced meal that could have been made (most likely better) at home. Maybe this place is better suited for cocktails before the REAL brunch- anywhere else. read more

The staff was unorganized. The drinks are average. The food is horrible. The empanadas taste like they were dusted w flour. The salmon tasted irregular. The waitress are unprofessional. Don't waste ur time. So many better restaurants in Brooklyn. read more

I am taking off one star due to the lousy unfriendly waitress we had on Monday, November 9th. I do not know her name. She had on a crop top that was too small that kept rolling up in the back when she leaned over to pick up empty plates off the table. The food does take a long time. We ordered the jerk chicken appetizer. Our food came and I asked the waitress what happened to the Jerk Wings. "Oh I forgot to put them in. I'll order them now." I told her they are an appetizer. You eat them while waiting for dinner not while you are eating dinner. There was no "I apologize for not putting them in earlier." She was very dismissive. She got upset I canceled the Jerk wings. We then said we will take them to go and you guessed it more attitude. There is an 18% tip is added to your bill (even for a table of 2!). ATTENTION EVERYONE: You do not have to pay a tip. If a restaurant forces you to tip miserable wait staff, pay with a credit card and keep a copy of the receipt showing they forced you to pay a tip and dispute the tip portion of the bill. You will get the tip portion back. I will not this time. I will assume the waitress just had a bad day and took it out on us. There are no laws that say you have to tip anyone. No one should be rewarded for bad behavior. All in all the snapper I ordered was excellent, the side order of roasted brussel sprouts was excellent. If I come back, I will avoid the waitress and seek a table that the waiter with the dread locks services. He had a much better attitude and provided people with better service and service with a smile. He had a table of loud, slightly unruly women that were a little tipsy and he was able to calm them down. read more

Great place! Great service! Chef Brian and Miguel was great! Very accommodating. Definitely a great spot!

Very nice atmosphere...rustic but chic. The noise level was perfect. Loud enough to make you feel like you were at a happening spot but low enough to hear the reggae playing in the background. The wait staff was very attentive and the owners were a huge presence...talking to everyone. It's categorized as a gastro-pub so the servings aren't what you'd normally see in a Caribbean restaurant. The menu is very eclectic and puts a spin on classics like oxtail and escoviche fish. The prices were reasonable. I had the ceviche where they used cod and included coconut milk...very delicious and light considering it was cod. I also had the crispy snapper which was a filet topped with escoviche veggies...tasty (especially the chimichurri sauce on the side. My girlfriend had the oxtail...sans bones and this was delicious as well. My girlfriend might host her bday celebration there and I'm looking forward to going back. read more

BK9 has only gotten better over time. They have favorite Caribbean dishes cooked to perfection. The oxtails and fish we had tonight were absolutely delicious. Oxtails best I ever tasted. Dj playing well mixed tunes added to the fun. Service deserved more than 5 stars. Kudos for a great dining experience. read more

This was single handedly the absolute worse brunch experience my family and I ever had! I will take the time out to outline our entire experience. The young lady, our server introduced herself and poured us water room temperature tap water (no ice) and left. After about 5 mins a gentleman who we assume to be the owner greeted us asking if we're doing fine. I asked about a drink on their menu which he told me he'd have to check with the bartender to confirm (he never did). He took our orders never writing anything down. Jay asked for coffee and he left. Maybe 10 mins later nothing! A young man working there saw our bothered look and asked f we were fine, we inquired about the coffee. Our server then returns to the table asking if we needed 1 or 2 cups which we replied 1. No one has asked Amira(my daughter) what she wants to drink yet. After another 5-7 mins the coffee comes over..... luke warm *sigh* we're annoyed and hangry by now and the place is now starting to fill up. I couldn't help but notice the white couple who walked in after us got their drinks b4 us and was getting checked on much more than us but whatever. Finally the owner returns and I asked him to please heat up the now cold coffee. Our server is busy caring for the other patrons who came in after us. She finally stopped by and asked if we needed anything in which I replied something to drink please. By now it's been about 25mins. I asked for a glass of sorrel, Amira declined clearly already annoyed with the entire experience. Jay at this point was ready to walk out but I insisted we stay to at least try the food. Our server then returned telling me they're out of the drink that I ordered *heavier sigh* fine I asked for passion fruit juice instead. Finally our food come out, we'll partially. My french toast were cold, Jay's waffles were OK however no syrup in sight. Amira's eggs were made wrong so they come over to apologize for the wait so they could fix it. They other half of my order came and Jay's eggs were completely forgotten. Amira's food come out and it was disappointingly disgusting! I mean we couldn't imagine what else could possibly go wrong. Right when we were done trying to eat, the owner came over with the forgotten eggs! But get this with no cheese! When I said something about it his response was and no quote "OK just eat the eggs as is and blame me for no cheese cuz I don't want to go back and have them redo this" Huh?! We were thoroughly threw with that place. We paid and left and will NEVER be returning! read more

See all

Based on 2 visits...The only thing good about this place is the ambiance, food is blah, drinks is really bad, service absolutely sucks, I swear the last time I was there, they used the same glass for my 2nd drink, and no it was not a refill. This place should definitely be at the bottom of anyone's list. read more

Excellent Caribbean comfort food, in a cozy setting. I ordered griot, which is a blackened orange-marinated pork dish, and my wife had the oxtail. Both dishes came with fried salted plantains, rice and beans, and pikliz, a Haitian pickled cabbage slaw. The selection of drinks is also quite good. We had the rude boy punch and an organic IPA to chase it. read more

First time visiting BK9 on a Sunday afternoon with 6 other people. First allow me to start off by saying the atmosphere is ok. The wait for our table wasn't long. However, once we were seated at approximately 4:05p a waiter took awhile to tend to us. Someone came to our table around 15-20mins later. We then asked if we can order from the dinner menu instead of the brunch menu it took the waiter awhile to give us an response. By the time someone came to informed us that we were able to order from the dinner menu our ordered still wasn't taken. One gentlemen came and took our drink orders and that was it. By this time it's almost 5p. The same gentlemen came back and took our dinner order. Now at this time our food was coming out one by one (keep in mind it's now almost 5:20p). We never received all of our orders. One person wasn't able to eat dinner and other never received their appetizers. Water was never offered to the table. It was just a complete mess on their end.... read more

I went to BK9 this past Friday with my cousins to celebrate her birthday. The food, ambiance, and service were PERFECT. Everyone loved their dishes. The portions were great, and drinks were spot on. Also, the music will have you grooving in your seat. They have not seen the last of us. Keep up the great work. I need to stop by for brunch soon! read more

Amazing food service staff and music. Would recommend for a night out with friends. I will definitely be coming back here

I went there for lunch yesterday, there was a group of 8 of us and it was absolutely amazing!!! The food was absolutely delicious. I had the oxtails and it was melting off of the bones and so very tasty!!! The staff were very attentive and very pleasant. I would highly recommend this place to everyone!!! read more

Recently came with family and I probably won't return. I honestly, read most of the reviews and I experienced all of the negative things that were previously acknowledged. Let's start off with the pros: Nice ambiance, clean bathrooms, very spacious private event space and a speaker to play your own music. The many cons: -There was no one to properly direct our party upon arrival, we had to ask after about 10 minutes of sitting at a random table -The waiter wasn't knowledgeable. He knew nothing about our reservation, our pre-fixed menu, and he couldn't recommend anything -Service was SLOW. I placed an order at the bar (which was not busy) while waiting for the party and didn't receive it until 10 minutes after being seated, the food took a while to come out, staff BARELY checked in with us so when we were tired of waiting, we eventually went upstairs for assistance. Water was not refilled. -The food wasn't good. Far from authentic. The jerk chicken pieces were too big, it was very spicy but didn't have any other flavor, the rice was bland and dry, the cabbage and plantain were immensely tasteless. -The drinks were strong (hooray), but also tasteless. I had to ask for garnish to muddle inside to make it enjoyable. -There's no bathroom in the private dining room, so you have to keep walking up and down the stairs Overall, I like the idea of Caribbean food fusion, however, I think the menu is so "over-fused" that the dishes give you a "taste" of many islands without the actual flavor that these traditional dishes are known for. The staff were nice, but again, unattentive. read more

One of the best meals I have had recently, both for the quality of food and the environment. My partner and I live in the block and have been waiting to see what this new spot would be like. As soon as we walked in we were welcomed by the hostess and 3 of the 9 friends (all from Brooklyn originally) who opened the restaurant together. The decor is great, beautiful but not stuffy. And the FOOD- we were blown away. Definitely try the oxtail empanadas with beef purée, the cod croquettes, and the scallops with callaloo especially if you enjoy spice. Throughout the meal you could see the owners greeting old friends and first time diners. Places like this don't come around that often but are the reason why I love Brooklyn. Welcome to the neighborhood BK9! We'll be back very soon. read more

This was my first trip to New York and when I went into the restaurant for dinner there was only one waiter and he might not have visited as much as usual but I used the best dinner I have ever had in my life read more

The food, drinks and service was amazing. It's a perfect date night spot. Has good kompa music, not too dim lighting and the atmosphere is perfect!! Mikail worked his butt off for us and from what we can tell every that table that was his. We will definitely be coming back!!! The Pork Griot & oxtail empanadas was delicious. read more

Give me food poisoning . I had the jerk wings and oxtail empanadas, hours later I was throwing up nonstop. They don't even deserve one star.

Came in for Brunch. Enjoyed live Jazz & got food & drinks from their bartender Liam, he was great! Very dedicated, took his time with every order, very respectful and friendly. Had a great time thanks to him!! Would certainly come back to him ! Highly recommended read more

I came here for my bday dinner for a party of 15. This was my second experience. Like my first time, the food was excellent and the drinks are great! I love the hispanola. Great service. The owners really care about their guests! Would recommend this place based on the food and great atmosphere. read more

Let me first say that the BK9 staff was fantastic to us. I found BK9 while searching Yelp for a Black-owned restaurant that had a great brunch and was good for groups. I called very last-minute (3 days before we needed a reservation for 20 people) and low they were able to take us on such short notice! Our reservation was for 2:30PM and we didn't show up until 3:15pm because of train issues, but the owner and the staff were still very accommodating, and even though bottomless brunch ended at 3:00PM, they allowed the entire party to order. I ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad and the chicken was seasoned spectacularly! My only discrepancy here was that I wanted more because it was so appetizing. The restaurant allowed us to play our personal music on their sound system in the basement where our large party was seated and all in all the entire party was satisfied. The ambiance of the restaurant was very inviting and the space was not small at all (trust me, we know because we danced during our brunch party). I just want to thank the owner and staff for making this such a memorable experience for us all, and we will definitely be back for brunch, lunch and dinner! read more

This place is absolutely AMAZING! I've been here 4 times and every time, it exceeds my expectations! The waitresses are nice, and the food is BOMB! The ambiance gives a nice, urban vibe. I've never been to the dance floor downstairs but the restaurant itself is great! And they play great Caribbean music! Overall, a great vibe! They definitely made me a faithful customer! read more

Definitely recommend for a night out with friend... great music, food, service and music. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. I will definitely be return read more

Great black owned business! Also a good place to go to if you want to grab a bite to eat or have a drink with your friends. Also great music and food. A solid choice for a night out. The workers here are also really nice and make it a very a wam and welcoming environment. read more

They didn't have two items on their menu: grilled chicken and Brussels sprouts. The jerk chicken app was good, the burger was Ok, the fries were undercooked, the root vegetables were dripping in oil and not the typical Caribbean vegetables, but the pumpkin soup was decent. The Bajan rum punch tasted nothing like traditional rum punch and It didn't taste like rum at all. The Bajan lady next to our table ordered the same thing and agreed with me. It was a shame and waste of money. I wish they cooked better because it's a beautiful restaurant. read more

OMG! I absolutely loved this place! The food was amazing! You have to get the oxtail empañadas!!! The service was impeccable!

Had a very disappointing experience at BK9 yesterday. This was my 3rd time there and I'm hesitant to return or recommend it to others. The service was abominable. We placed our food and drink order at the same time. We waited 30 minutes to receive our drinks and the waiter omitted one from the order after it was told to him twice. Our food arrived at the table at varying times. Some was hot and some cold. A friend order a burger with cheddar cheese. The chef decided add American cheese because they ran out of cheddar. Then the waiter gave her a hard time because she sent the order back. When we asked to speak to the manager to complain about the service, we learned that our server was the manager and he offered no assistance. We received the bill and a 25% gratuity was added to the bill. We paid the bill excluding the gratuity and left very displeased. Its unfortunate that I and my friends will not only not recommend BK9, we will discourage others from going. read more

I'm a long time Islanders fan and when my team moved to Barclays, I wasn't sure where the new place to pregame at would be. I checked out bk9 at first because it was less crowded than the other spots by the arena, but I quickly grew to love it! The drink specials are great - $4 craft beers - and I love the Carribean vibe,the jerk chicken was incredible. Way better than my experiences in jamaica itself! The staff is also incredibly attentive and friendly. I'll continue to come here and introduce friends on game days or when I'm in the area read more

Wonderful staff and great food. It is a must when you are in the area. I'm here still eating my Caribbean Benedict!!!! Amazing, we will be back!!! read more

We were a party of 12 on a holiday weekend and the bartender told us to be quiet. Sorry, but that's some bs...especially when the spot is empty. Trash. read more

I attended a bridal shower at the restaurant, The staff was accomadating. The food was delicious and the portions were large. A very good experience. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone. read more

I NEVER write reviews, but the food here was amazing and the owner was even more amazing. I'll definitely order from here again and take friends when they come to town. The oxtail, jerk wings, mussels, and cod cake all came out hot, flavorful and stayed warm until we were done eating. The owner made us feel welcomed and at home. Come. Eat. Get your life! read more

So I will start this off by saying that I this review is not about the typical Patron experience. I have come as a patron and had good experiences but this is about the private party venue in the basement.. My friend had his birthday party here last year and the food was so good that we did it again a couple days ago for his birthday and I ordered completely different food but it is still amazing even a second time around. We did have a prefix menu and we had the entire lower level. The Ambiance is perfect because you've got your own music and a waiter who keeps you well fed and attended to. The drinks are so so very good. I wish I could remember the name of what I had but it had something with whiskey, lime juice and Ginger beer, and I could have had only those the whole night and been totally satisfied. The menu starts off with the house cassava bread and everybody sleeps on them! As soon as they get cold the quality diminishes, but I finally tried them hot this year! They are the chewiest most simple yet satisfying food ever! The cassava bread is pretty much why I am writing this post. You will love the chewy texture . I either need to figure out a way to replicate this recipe, or I need to go back in order an entire box. We actually had a lot left over so I took some home and had some today for Breakfast. I popped them in the microwave, and I was eating them on the train in literal heaven!! So I ordered the salmon and it was cooked perfectly with the crispy skin on the bottom making it completely optional if you wanted to eat the skin or not, but it was totally worth it! No bones, and it came with stewed lentils and callaloo. Very filling hearty and perfectly seasoned. I have also had other food including there jerk wings and oxtail empanadas which are really good. In passing to go to the bathroom I ran across the chef, black, who was regularly dressed and he asked me how I liked the food. I was so impressed because you never know who you run into, and I really appreciate that he was genuinely interested, rather than the typical self-centered ass-of-a-chef who thinks their food is God's gift to the Earth. Overall, I am very satisfied with my experience. I'm always trying to patronize more black owned businesses, and the food and drinks and courteous staff make it very very well worth it! The location is also in a prime neighborhood right on 5th Avenue by the Barclay Center so you can swing by anytime I train or car. Thank you be bk9 I will be back! read more

Just popped in for a Sex on The Beach with Orange & Pineapple Vodka Mariette- was DELECTABLE! Perfect spot to check out before or after a Barclays event (is one block away!). LOVE IT. read more

Such a good place to have small events with close family and friends I highly recommend going there.

The Caribbean food was absolutely delicious! The cocktails were amazing! The atmosphere was festive! The service was exceptional! It's in a very convenient location. I had a really great experience. I highly recommend it!! read more

I came here with some friends on Friday before the nets game. I was in the mood for a burger and two people in our group recommended the burgers at BK9. Unfortunately, it was absolutely terrible. I think the meat was expiring because it tasted and smelt so awful. I didn't have time to complain or send it back so I tried my best to eat it and drown it in condiments. I would give this place 2 stars because of this terrible entree, but because my friends liked what they ordered I'm giving 3 stars. My advice- order anything but the burger. read more