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    Cea-Lo Cafe

    3.3 (114 reviews)
    ModerateSoul Food, Seafood
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    CEA-LO CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Mac and cheese
    Esther L.

    Quick soul food bite. It's fairly good not the best. When I'm in the neighborhood I get food from there. Seasoned just enough if you want to add salt pepper, hot sauce any of your fav seasonings on top. Mac and cheese basic for soul food and banana pudding not fresh but still tasty

    Catfish,broiled shrimps,Mac and cheese,yellow rice and beans,corn bread.
    Meriah Q.

    I would rate them a 4/5.the food was good and filled me up. I had the catfish with Mac and cheese,yellow rice and beans,broiled shrimps.corn bread was ok. Everything was seasoned well.For my bev I had their lemonade which I really enjoyed.

    Flipside of Menu
    Antoine G.

    Cea-Lo Cafe is a fantastic spot for Comfort Food and Soul Food. It's soooo hard to find a place that has authentic Soul Food nowadays, that isn't soaked in grease and salted to Hell. Cea-Lo's is in its on league. Cea-Lo Cafe was introduced to me by my parents. They were driving by one day and decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad they did because Cea-Lo's dinner specials will leave you feeling like Thanksgiving came early. I would definitely recommend calling your order in advance for pick-up--I don't think they deliver, unfortunately--(especially on a weekend) because everyone knows Cea-Lo Cafe is the place to get some mouth-watering Comfort Food and Soul Food. Place an order; I'm 99.70% you'll love it! (I say 99.70% because you can't please everybody. But only the weak hate Cea-Lo Cafe.)

    Fried chicken, yams and mac & cheese.
    Dulce B.

    Food was delicious! Mac and cheese was just right . I ordered fried chicken it was tasty but fried too hard. I also ordered the banana pudding ... you can tell it was sitting in the fridge for some time as the bananas inside were too dark. My son enjoyed the cornbread though.

    When your plate looks like THIS

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food in this place be hitting. So good. Especially when nice and hot. The mac and cheese is delicious.

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Trash food, trash service, over priced and had to ask for condiments. Don't waste your time or money going to this place

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    9 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Elliot P.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    The food at cea-lo is pretty decent. The hype this restaurant get is definitely overrated. They're good but they're not great.

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    4 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    I use to eat from here all the time. Today was the worse! The shrimp was mini! The yams was runny and Mac disgusting! Last time!

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    9 years ago

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    Elliot P.

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    Seafood Mixer

    Seafood Mixer

    4.9
    (8 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    Run like a thief in the night with Seafood Mixer on Seward Ave. in Soundview. The plot where…read moreSeafood M. stands has become near and dear to the hearts of many Soundviewians. Including me. Whoever the business developers are, they took this overgrown grassy lot that's been vacant for the last 40 or so odd years and built a multi-business structure from scratch and Seafood M. dove in deep with it. I'll truthfully credit this find to my daughter- who, on her recent Holiday visit staying with Grandma, found this place on a whim. I jumped on it too days later. The first 2 dishes my kid got were the steamed AND seasoned Crab Legs+veggies and a steamed shrimp platter for my mom. According to her, my kid devoured the crab legs- which were perfectly steamed without making the shells soft. And my Mom's steamed Shrimp platter had a considerable amount of plump shrimp with a light seasoning that didn't overpower the seafood. On my recent trip though, I picked up the 3 piece Catfish-only meal and the 4 piece Whiting (the owner actually threw in like one or two pieces in there- thank you!). Both delicious. I may not be Southern, but I know a good dredge on fried fish when I see it and taste it. Renée(sp?) the owner- uses a fantastic and light that holds its own and doesn't crack into dust. The space may seem untidy- so don't come here for looks. Just come for the food. But, Renée has a great thing going and at 3 years strong, she's creating a sense of community and flare when Soundview never had a stand-alone fried fish/fish market spot. Wishing you much more success.

    So about last night's fish by pickup, I was craving some fried Shrimp & fish from last time, I had…read moreto place my order ahead. The service was great, and the ambiance was peaceful, just the cooking of seafood was in the air. No pictures this time cause I ate my food so fast. I got the fried Shrimp and fish basket with tartar sauce, buttered broccoli and a Peach seamoss drink. Some leftovers for lunch. Can't wait to go back...until next time my seafood lovers!

    Photos
    Sauces & Things
    Sauces & Things
    Under The Sea
    Under The Sea
    Butterfly Dreams

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    Butterfly Dreams
    The Waterfront New York City

    The Waterfront New York City

    4.1
    (73 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    I was going to take my parents up to City Island when I remembered this restaurant was on my list…read moreof places to try. It is a restaurant in a Trump owned golf course. There were people in their polo shirts coming off the golf course as well as people just there for a meal. We went for Sunday brunch. My mom had crab cakes and a ceasar salad, my dad had pizza, I had the truffle burger and my son had a cheeseburger that looked the same size as mine. I have to say I loved my burger. While I differ on our ex presidents views, this place knows how to make a great truffle burger. We all enjoyed our food. I opted for the bottomless brunch while everyone else had the brunch. The service was great. The server made it truly bottomless. I had several different drinks and liked the red sangria the best. I loved the relaxing atmosphere and view of the water. It's hard to believe this place is in the middle of the Bronx.

    We stopped in at Bally's Waterfront Restaurant near Ferry Point Park, adjacent to the Whitestone…read moreBridge. Guests enter through the gift shop, which was an unexpected touch. The restaurant itself is attractive, bright, spacious, and decidedly upscale. Although we had made a reservation, it really wasn't necessary on a weekday. The hostess warmly invited us to sit wherever we liked and promptly provided menus and a beverage list. Unfortunately, the service got off to a slow start. Despite the restaurant being nearly empty, it took quite a while for our server to acknowledge us and take our order. A few more minutes and we were prepared to leave. My dining companion ordered the hamburger, while I chose the Cubano sandwich. Both dishes were attractively presented and quite tasty. The food was definitely the highlight of the experience. Our primary disappointment was the service. The server never formally welcomed us or introduced herself. Given the Bally's brand and the restaurant's upscale appearance, I expected a more polished level of hospitality. Obtaining our check was also a lengthy process. At one point, our server appeared engaged in conversation with the bartender, then walked past our table and disappeared into the kitchen for several minutes. Upon her return, I had to raise my hand to get her attention. To be fair, she was pleasant and courteous, but she wasn't particularly attentive--especially considering that we appeared to be her only active table. I had noticed similar comments about inconsistent service in previous reviews and assumed they reflected busy weekend conditions. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case during our visit. We had considered staying for dessert, but decided against making the additional time investment. Now that I've experienced Bally's Waterfront Restaurant, I don't think I'll be returning.

    Photos
    The Waterfront New York City
    The Waterfront New York City
    The Waterfront New York City

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    IBN Hamido Seafood

    IBN Hamido Seafood

    4.4
    (652 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    $$$

    Was visiting from out of town with a friend back in March and my cousin and his girlfriend…read morerecommended this place for dinner one night. We got in line around 7:30 pm on a Sunday and waited about an hour to order our food and another 20 minutes or so to be seated. You pick all the seafood you want first and how you want it prepared. Once you're seated, you get another menu with appetizers and other cooked dishes. Your seafood gets brought out along with any other dishes you ordered. Everything we got was really good and cooked to perfection. It was such a unique experience as well. There's a reason why the wait for this place is so long and I would recommend anyone to come give it a try!

    So, perhaps I'm super biased. I've had exceptional Egyptian seafood. This was not that. It was…read moregood enough. So, perhaps if i knew less, this would be very good. But I found it mostly mediocre. My companions found it delicious. The wait on father's day at 2:30 pm, to just get in and order was over an hour. The food: the best we had was the grilled octopus - it was thinly sliced and mildly spiced, but cooked to perfection. The pasta was also delicious! The fried smelt was very disappointing, no flavor no crunch on the outside. I was told that the scallops and the shrimp were great. They looked great. The appetizers we disappointing. The babaganoush, the tahini, the beets, the eggplant and the salad all lacked flavor. The bread was just heated up pocket pita... the mint limeade was fine. The fries were fine. The service was very attentive, and the decor cute.

    Photos
    Indoor seating downstairs
    Indoor seating downstairs
    Hamido Salad (~$8)
    Hamido Salad (~$8)
    Scallops

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    Scallops
    Dakota’s On The Cove

    Dakota’s On The Cove

    4.4
    (69 reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$

    We visited this place when it was The Icehouse it was nice. I enjoyed the new place, the appetizers…read morewere really good, the mussels were great and the chicken wings were great as well. Drinks were good. Service was a little slow. Ambiance was quiet, nice seating areas, I think they have a outside area. I would definitely return.

    I was really looking forward to trying this place. I was underwhelmed with the food and drink…read moreoptions and the service experience. There are some dedicated parking spaces that have a three hour limit if dining. Upon arrival, I entered the inside restaurant space for Dakota's on the Grove. It was aesthetically pleasing. I should have sat inside here instead of in their outdoor space which they call The Grove at Dakota's. I was able to choose where I wanted to sit, so I chose a table near this shed where the bartender/waiter was. I noticed they were setting up for the Knicks Game 3 final and there were two large TVs and a projection screen. I overheard the waiter state that the area would be packed for the game tonight. There was also good music playing throughout. They had a large connect four, which would be nice to play. They are family friendly and had high chairs for babies and toddlers. When sitting outside they state that they have to preauthorize your card. Now getting onto the food. I was seated and provided with two menus. I immediately asked for a happy hour menu and then I waited for about 15 minutes, until I followed up with another waiter who brought out the menu for me. For the happy hour menu before I received my food I initially thought the prices were good, but upon receiving my food it was evident that the prices are off in terms of the portion size of the food. I ordered a $5 slider. I thought it would be a decent size. It was incredibly small. For the $5 price they should give at minimum 2 sliders but ideally 3. This would incentivize people to buy more. The slider was the best thing I tasted while there and I would have liked more but I couldn't justify spending another $5 when it was so tiny. The tiny slider appeared to be the portion size for a toddler. I ordered calamari which was $9. I was initially disappointed that there was such a small amount. I was even more disappointed when I tasted them. They tasted very "fishy." They absolutely needed a squeeze of lemon and fresh cracked black pepper to try and balance and mask the taste. I believe the portion size for the fries was also off for $5. The fries came in a teacup. Fries are something that people tend to order to have something to pick at while dining and it would make sense I think to provide more fries for the same price. I also could not justify getting another set of fries in a small teacup for $5. I did not like the taste of the fries. When the sparse calamari, tiny beef slider, and small teacup of fries came out, I realized I would not be full and ordered chicken wings from the happy hour menu. You have to get a minimum of 6. You cannot mix the flavors. They were out of the dockside fire sauce so I went with the garlic parm. These wings did not taste like garlic parm. The garlic parm seemed like an afterthought, which was just sprinkled on the wings at the very end. The chicken itself did not have much flavor. They did not mention providing any dipping sauce. I asked for blue cheese and I had to wait for about ten minutes and then remind another waiter that I was still waiting for my blue cheese. They were out of the mozzarella sticks. Moving onto the drinks. While I get being outside and maybe wanting to serve drinks in plastic to minimize glassware breaking, I did not enjoy being served Pinot Noir in a plastic cup or the white cranberry lemon drop in a plastic cup. Each time I was taken aback that they weren't offered in glassware. I got the $7 Pinot Noir from the happy hour menu. A regular glass of Pinot Noir is $9. I also ordered the white cranberry lemon drop which is priced at $12 and is not included on the happy hour menu. The drink came out in the same sized small plastic cup as the Pinot Noir. I think once again that glassware should be used. When ordering a lemon drop you tend to expect a chilled frosty glass with a sugar rim, and that was not what I received here. I think the sugar rim would have elevated the taste profile of the drink. All in all, I really liked the outdoor area. I would probably only return to get a canned beer in the outside section. I hope they start to carry some sour beer options. I do not see myself trying the food again, with the exception of a burger (since the burger was really good.) I did have an inquiry regarding the pre-authorization charge and the final charge that I saw on my credit card. I called and left a message and the restaurant got back to me quickly, which I really appreciated.

    Photos
    Crafted Cocktails and Sodas
    Crafted Cocktails and Sodas
    Because Phones Always Eat First: (Tasty Broccoli Rabe)
    Because Phones Always Eat First: (Tasty Broccoli Rabe)
    A Little Sparkle, A Little Peach & A Lot Of Strength

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    A Little Sparkle, A Little Peach & A Lot Of Strength

    Cea-Lo Cafe - soulfood - Updated June 2026

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