Hey Chat, If you're…read moreever in the Harlem area and needing some delicious soul food that hits the spot, Amy Ruth's will not disappoint. This place has been a go-to for me since I was young, and to this day have never had a bad experience. Pictured are some great chicken dishes that are worth a try but my ultimate favorite meal here is the "Al Roker" (just an honorable mention if you guys need a suggestion). Friendly service from the time you walk in to the time you leave. Clean atmosphere and the music is always a vibe and sets the tone for a great evening. With all this being said.. Eat well fellow foodies!

Came up from NC wanting some good Southern food, and we found a true gem!…read more We ordered the smothered turkey wings, fried fish, yams, mac and cheese, and delicious cabbage--and everything was SO good! The portions are generous enough for two people, so you definitely get your money's worth. The workers were sweet, welcoming, and friendly, which made the experience even better. And listen... the cornbread and freshly squeezed lemonade are a MUST! If you're looking for authentic, delicious Southern comfort food, definitely give this place a try! 5 stars all around!

And they "suggested" Melba's Restaurant?? lol I appreciate…read moreyour great taste. But I've been at THIS "table" for years... Rate Melba's for Me. Since there's NOTHING higher than what I would give!

First meal on this trip to New York!…read more I'm in New York for a week and was catching up with a friend who suggested we grab some soul food. I love me some chicken and waffles, so we decided to check out Melba's Restaurant, located at 300 W. 114th Street in Harlem. I thought the exterior was really cute, especially the nice awning. Inside, the restaurant has a very traditional, home-style feel, with lots of wood and warm brown tones. You can definitely feel the history of the place when you walk in. If you're driving, I would be a little cautious about parking. There was quite a bit of street cleaning happening, so make sure you pay close attention to the signs. I'd also recommend making a reservation if you can, especially depending on what time you visit, because the restaurant can get pretty busy. One thing I noticed about the seating is that it can be a little tight. Coming from Chicago, I'm not necessarily accustomed to the same kind of seating arrangements, and I have pretty broad shoulders, so I like having a little personal space. If you're seated at a smaller table, just be prepared for a more compact setup. My friend and I both ordered the chicken and waffles, and they were delicious! I have to give a lot of love to the waffle because it was cooked perfectly. I actually took some of it home, and surprisingly, it still tasted really good the next day. The chicken was also breaded really well. It wasn't overly seasoned, which I appreciated, it had just the right amount of flavor. Since I wanted to try some of their soul food, I also ordered the greens, and those were delicious as well. I washed everything down with a strawberry lemonade, which I really enjoyed. My friend got the sweet tea and loved that too. One thing to keep in mind: Melba's isn't really a full-on breakfast restaurant. They happen to have chicken and waffles, but if you're going there expecting a traditional breakfast menu with things like eggs and breakfast potatoes, you're not going to find a huge selection. Since I wanted something to complement my chicken and waffles, I ordered French fries instead. Overall, this was a really good first meal for my New York trip. The food was delicious, the staff were super accommodating, and the atmosphere had a lot of character. There were just a few small things keeping me from giving it a full five stars, but I would definitely recommend checking out Melba's if you're in Harlem. Solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I used to come to Mom's Kitchen & Bar pretty often when I lived in NYC, so coming back to New York…read moreand making this one of my stops was a must. Thankfully, the food was still really good! I got the buffalo mac & cheese balls, veggie burger and a passion fruit margarita with a coronita during happy hour. The margarita was GOOD lol and definitely did its job . The buffalo mac & cheese balls were probably my favorite, especially with the Sriracha ranch. My boyfriend loved them too and ended up getting the burger as well, but swapped the veggie patty for beef because he liked all the toppings and condiments. Our server was really friendly and service was good overall. My only complaint was cleanliness. The table we sat at was sticky and I noticed quite a few other tables that looked like they needed a more thorough wipe down. The restrooms could've been cleaner too. Still glad I came back though. The food definitely didn't disappoint!

What a super fun experience! Mom's Kitchen has such an eclectic, diverse menu that it was almost…read moreimpossible to decide what to order. I ended up with possibly the best breakfast sandwich I've ever had -- Taylor ham, scrambled eggs, pepper jelly and cheese on an everything bun. Absolutely delicious. The mimosa was embarrassingly large, but I gave it my best effort. And the coffee was exactly what breakfast coffee should be: good and strong. With about a million places to get breakfast in NYC, the best compliment I can give is that I would absolutely come back here again.

Definitely a hidden gem! If I hadn't looked it up on Yelp first we would have walked right by…read morewithout noticing it on while walking by. The unassuming outside hides a tremendously cool inside. As soon as we walked through the door, we were greeted warmly by Dinara (sp?) who was effortlessly cool in her own right. A young lady ( whose name I didn't catch) promptly seated us. It's not a huge space, but we didn't feel cramped. There was a bar up front, tables along the side walls and a stage in the back. Apparently they have live music nights and open mic nights too. When we went there was 80s/90s music playing and it was very cool. The decor is unapologetically Black and I love it! The restroom is clean and contemporary. The service staff is amazing and attentive. They gave us cornbread with berry butter. Very tasty! My only complaint is that they could have given us each a piece instead of giving us one piece cut into 2. Lol! But it was free! And if that's the "worst" part of the experience then you know it was an overall good time! I was wavering between whether or not to get the collard greens and asked if they were sweet or bitter or spicy. Our server went and got a small sample for me to try because it was hard to describe. I was grateful for her willingness to let me try them. By the way I did order them and they are more savory than any of the above. It's a gentle savory flavor. I also got rice and beans and teriyaki salmon. The beans weren't exactly what I expected. They were black beans which I don't typically associate with soul food. They weren't bad although next time I think I'll get potatoes. My dining companion got lamb chops and collard greens and mac and cheese. She loved everything and at it right up! The food presentation, flavor, and portion size were all good. I didn't leave feeling overstuffed but I was satisfied. The servers checked in on us an appropriate amount of times (we didn't feel rushed or under surveillance but they made sure we had what we needed). The manager/owner stopped by to make sure everything was good and chatted with us. All around good vibes & good eats--I would go again. Highly recommend!

Thursday, 07May26 - A night of celebrating Taurus' at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar Lounge - and…read morewhat a celebration it was. So much joy. So much talent. Thank you, Valerie Simpson, and your late husband; Nickolas Ashford, for creating this amazing venue. The guest host for the evening was the incredibly talented Olutayo. Olutayo is joy exemplified. His vocal range, dance moves, entertaining facial expressions...infectious. I fell in love with this man and did not hesitate to tell him so. Beyond his talents was Olu's ability to manage / juggle the night's open-mic entertainers with such grace. From the lyrics of En Vogue and Salt-N-Peppa: "Whatta Man, Whatta Man, What a Mighty Good Man!" All of the entertainers were incredible. What a range of singers, dancers, a poet, a violinist. And the band! The band! The band! Come on!! Outstanding. I was seated next to Darius, one of the several background vocalists that were positioned throughout the lounge. We became fast friends in this space filled with exuberance. Darius was a delight. He was also a big brother to me, making sure no one blocked my view of the performance. Thank you, Darius, that was so kind of you. I had such a wonderful time being in the company of all these amazingly talented people. It was a 6-hour dopamine rush that should not be missed. The dinner that was served was top-notch. I had the Sea Bass. My friend had the Golden Fried Chicken. Both meals were delicious. I had the ginger mocktail with rosemary and blueberries - so yummy I had two. Dessert was key lime pie - suffer we will. Our server; Vickie, was a delight and amazing to observe as she maneuvered around the performers and kept us and everyone around us well served and continually hydrated. Vickie is to be commended for how hard she worked throughout the evening. I made sure our tip reflected our appreciation of her. Put the Sugar Bar on your bucket list when visiting NYC. You'll leave there feeling you have experienced Heaven on Earth.

Melba's is still serving up great chicken sandwiches and I usually pick up one when transiting…read morethrough Grand Central. Customer traffic has been particularly heavy in the basement of Grand Central this summer and all the food establishments have been equally busy. I've been to Melba's several times and I still rec the chicken sandwich without sauce and chipotle mayo, but please caution them not to put too much sauce on the sandwich. They can become a bit heavy handed with the sauces. I tried the catfish sandwich too and it was good, but not as filling. I had it with the same sauces. I could eat the catfish sandwich easily for breakfast. The size of the sandwiches seems to vary at times, but they are holding serve at Melba's. 4 stars!

This counter is nothing like their restaurant. I understand it's meant to be fast and casual but I…read morejust had the most underwhelming disgusting fried chicken sandwich which was sloppily prepared The chicken piece itself was cold, dried, hard which made it inedible. And the flavor tasted like it was doused in Maggi or Chicken bouillon cubes. I asked for chipotle mayo and got a reg mayo sauce, the bread is not warmed and the coleslaw is a slop and unnecessary bread to coleslaw ratio. Huge mistake thinking I was going to get a decent sandwich. The prepared food also looks like slop. Skip Skip Skip

With a Salmon burger to top all Salmon burgers and a happy hour with a Mini Margarita flight…read more(pictured) that is in no way shape or form 'Mini', Jacob's Pickles is truly for everyone. My friend also had a regular beef burger and it was super yummy. But the salmon burger...I think of her fondly.

Pretty disappointingly average - found this place online and decided to give it a try. We ordered…read morethe FRIED PICKLES, HONEY CHICKEN & PICKLES BISCUIT & PIE TRIO. Nothing really stood out. The chicken was fine - the pie trio was a sad mess of undercooked pie crust and sadness.

One of the best chicken caesar wraps I've ever had. Staff were ok and service was decent. The wrap…read morewas delicious and it's something that I crave from time to time. Will definitely be coming back soon.

Bobwhite serves up a bit of homestyle southern in the heart of East Village. Although I wouldn't…read morerecommend for a visitor of the city, I would highly recommend for a local looking for a Saturday/Sunday morning hangover spot. Delicious sweet tea with melt-in-your-mouth chicken biscuits highlight a casual atmosphere.

2.75 Checked the menu before going and it sounded good,…read morethough kind of pricey for a fast casual place. We ordered at the counter and got our table, which they have ample of. The place looked well-maintained. No restroom. The food was brought to us. We ordered Fried catfish with a side- picked mac n cheese; honey fried chicken with a side- collard greens. Both came with cornbread and condiments. Can opt for 2 sides at a higher price. Food was served in to-go containers and first impressions weren't so good. The catfish said swai on the menu- upon reading on it, it isn't the same as the American catfish at all, but an inexpensive and lower quality option (why priced high on the menu?). There were 4 thin pieces, lightly breaded, was the most flavorful in our order at least. The chicken looked dry and we could tell it's not freshly cooked, esp after taking a bite- the outer part was hard and chewy. Too much honey too. The mac and cheese wasn't creamy, just ok. Collard greens were just ok as well. The cornbread was good, soft and buttery.

Hopped on a train outta New Haven headed to NYC for some soul food…read more We landed at Amy Ruth's... walls covered in Black legends definitely set the vibe. Menu had some creative names I went with the Ludacris: jumbo fried wings + 2 sides. Mac & cheese + collard greens. Off rip... food looked But that first bite? Mac & cheese had a weird garlic taste. Sweet potatoes (that I didn't even order) tasted straight out the can. Only things that really hit? Fried chicken Collard greens On top of that... orders were getting mixed up & it was HOT in there Couldn't even finish my tray. Hate to say it... but this one wasn't it for me. 6/10 might have to take that trip to Harlem next #GoodEatsInCT #NYCFoodie #SoulFoodReview #FoodieFinds #HonestEats

Fiiiiiiire chicken wow, waffles too. Had a craving and this place absolutely satisfied it. Got the…read moreMaple Chipotle Chicken with Vanilla Glaze Waffles. WHAT A COMBO. The Maple Chipotle was insanely good and the chicken was still super crispy despite being sauced up.

This one honestly hurt my heart…read more.. Y'all... this review hurts my heart to write because I am a Sweet Chick fan. Not a "I tried it once" fan. A real fan. I've been going to Sweet Chick since there was only one location in Brooklyn. I was literally traveling from Jersey to Brooklyn just for the food, the drinks, and the experience, and I never minded doing it because it was always worth it. So when they opened the Ludlow Street location, I was excited because now I didn't have to make the trip to Brooklyn every time I wanted my chicken and waffles. Back then, Sweet Chick was an experience. They had the big specials board with rotating waffles, desserts, and seasonal items. Their chicken and waffles never missed. I honestly can't remember ever leaving disappointed. So this review is really hard for me. Back on June 26th, after work, my mom and I decided to grab dinner. I work in the LES, and she suggested Sweet Chick. I did tell her my brother Robert had gone recently and said it had changed a lot, but we figured we'd see for ourselves. We got there around 9-ish. The first thing we noticed... It was HOT. Not warm. Hot. Like, "why does it feel like a sauna in here?" hot. We've had enough hot weather this summer, so walking into a restaurant with little to no air conditioning was honestly uncomfortable. We actually debated leaving before we even ordered, but decided to stick it out. Unfortunately... it never got better. The service also wasn't what I remembered. I'm really big on customer service, and Sweet Chick has always had amazing service whenever I've gone. This time it just felt different. The attentiveness wasn't there, and the overall vibe just felt... off. Even the menu has changed. My mom used to love their kale salad, but now it's made differently with things like dates, and she wasn't interested in it anymore. For drinks, my mom ordered an espresso martini, and unfortunately she really didn't enjoy it. It was pretty bitter, and we couldn't quite figure out what was off about it. If I'm ordering an espresso martini, I have certain expectations, and this one just didn't hit for her. I ordered the Queen of New York, and I actually really enjoyed my drink. No complaints there. Now... the food. I ordered the Maple Chipotle Chicken & Sweet Potato Waffle. And this is where my heart really broke. Years ago, when they first introduced the sweet potato waffle as a special, I remember it actually tasting like sweet potato. This one... Honestly just tasted like a regular waffle. I kept looking for that sweet potato flavor, and it just wasn't there. The chicken itself was crispy and cooked well, but the maple chipotle sauce wasn't evenly coated. Some bites were really good, while other pieces were dry because they barely had any sauce on them. Another thing longtime Sweet Chick fans might notice is the butter service. I remember getting three or four different flavored butters, each in their own little container. This time we got two flavors together in one cup. It's a small thing, but it was one of those details that always made Sweet Chick feel special. My mom ordered the Carolina BBQ Chicken with the Grilled Corn Waffle. I'll be fair--her waffle absolutely tasted like a corn waffle. I tried it, and it was really good. She enjoyed her meal more than I did, although she also had a few pieces of chicken that weren't evenly coated with sauce and were a little dry. Overall, she thought it was okay. And I think that's really the word for this visit. Okay. Not terrible. But not the Sweet Chick we remembered. Maybe that's why this visit hit me so hard. When you've loved a place for years, you naturally compare it to what you know it can be. I genuinely hope this was just an off night because I have so many great memories here, and I'd honestly love to come back one day and have the Sweet Chick experience that made me fall in love with it in the first place. Because this restaurant has meant a lot to me over the years, and I'm rooting for it. I really am.

A sleeper hit nestled in Chelsea Market…read more The staff may have been a bit overwhelmed by the holiday crowd size, but they did manage to get our order in a timely fashion. We ordered a jerk chicken burrito and a chicken patty and honestly, for something tucked in tourist central, it was pretty delicious. Both the burrito and the chicken patty had a slow burn on the palate. A gentle heat throughout, but not too much to make you weep. They were both also ridiculously hot and steamy, so maybe give the items a minute or 2 to cool down. The patty itself had a very tender crust and plenty of filling. But the filling was a bit looser than I am used to and the crust could've been a touch sturdier. The jerk burrito was our standout. You get the jerk seasoning, the rice and peas, and the pineapple slaw in one bite, a burst of flavors. For its price too, a decently sized burrito would be a good lunch for one person. We opted to split and were satisfied. Seating is limited to shared tables near the counter or bar stools. But still, well worth a visit if you're looking for a flavor bomb in Chelsea Market!

SO and I were in the area and stopped here for lunch. The jerk chicken and oxtails came with some…read moreveggies and rice...both were very tasty. The service was friendly and fast. Would definitely return.