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Service is usually good, attentive and interactive with customers. Wings are great! They are cooked perfectly and they offer a variety of sauces (Cray Sauce and Mumbo are my go to.) Fish sandwich was very satisfying and flavorful, definitely won't leave wanted for more. Love the Rasta Pasta , it's a great first dish to try there. Personally love the Banana Roll dessert, pairs well after most entrees and just sweet enough for me. If you prefer calm vibes, come during week. Party vibes come on the weekends, perfect balance to me when a restaurant can do both!
Idk, I am on the fence with this place. The vibe was really good, good music and extra friendly faces but we didnt realize that this place encourages you to Bring your own bottle, which is not a bad thing but more of an unexpected thing. The food menu is amazing, but the food was just ok, nothing seemed cooked to order, nothing was pipping hot out of the grease and we ordered whiting. We are in Philly so of course my friend tried the cheesesteak egg rolls, which were a hit, I ordered the whiting platter with greens and mac & cheese. The vibe was really nice, the service was great! I would definitely recommend this place to a group, very spacious and very friendly service, they just got to get some Alcohol behind those bars.
We love a Black owned business, add Cray Taste in Old City to your list. I used to live in the DMV (where DC is legit the Black brunch capital of the world, don't @ me ) so my standards are high.... I'll say this-- Cray Taste has potential! Good food, yummy drinks, decent ambiance, and the DJ was playing the jams. I see y'all! Pictured here-- steak and eggs and some sort of punch with either rum or vodka. Shame on me for forgetting, lol!
A great local spot with delicious soul food - we really enjoyed meeting the chef too! I came in with my husband on a Friday evening. IT was on the earlier side, so the restaurant was more on the quieter end. Atmosphere: There was a lot of space inside. It has a more casual feel, but also nice ambiance / could be a great date spot too. Our food came out relatively quickly (probably because there were less people). Food: We loved the chicken wings (especially the sauce!) and the po'boy we ordered. I thought the sauce was particularly flavorful and different from what I usually eat. Overall: 5/5 - I still need to come back! We loved the experience and recommend anybody looking to try something new!
My husband and I had the worst service from our waitress/bartender, Sydney. I'm applaud she is even employed because her customer service skills are terrible. She approached our table with an attitude, and it carried it during the entire time we were dining. She barely checked on us, never asked if we wanted refills on our drinks, didn't bring any condiments with our food, and appeared irritated that another employee asked us if we needed anything. She didn't know what the kitchen was out off so when we ordered stuff, she would return to tell us the item wasn't available. To add salt to the evening, they automatically charge 20% gratuity, so there is no incentive for her to change her nasty attitude. The food was good although each item took an extremely long time to come out. We ordered wings, cheesesteak egg rolls, chicken sandwich (that she initially brought out with fish on it), and fish with 2 sides. One of the sides was out, so it kind of ruined the meal for my husband. Definitely won't be back, but I wanted to share our experience.
When I noticed Cray Taste opened right down my block I was happy to give it a try for a Sunday brunch. I was greeted warmly at the door and noticed the place looks better than it did when it was a different restaurant. Nice ambiance with a couple of places for taking Instagram worthy photos. For brunch I ordered chicken & red velvet waffles. My friend ordered shrimp & grits, with a side of mac & cheese. The waitress told us they make slushies, so we both ordered slushies as well. The chicken and waffles were outstanding. The chicken wings were perfectly seasoned and cooked, and so juicy. I'm a huge fan of red velvet cake, and these red velvet waffles did not disappoint. A step up from the usual waffles. I couldn't resist having some of the mac & cheese with my wings as well. The mac & cheese was delicious. A restaurant can't legitimately claim to have soul food without a great mac & cheese dish and cray taste delivered. I had a mango slushy and my friend had a cherry slushy. Both were delicious. Service was outstanding as well. The waitress took good care of us. The only thing Cray Taste is missing is a liquor license. They have a large bar, so I do hope at some point they start making drinks there. I'm happy to have a five star restaurant serving soul food right on my block. I plan to be a regular customer!
Just ok. Didn't like the hoki tables all around us. Put them somewhere else. Weird. Waitress was sweet. Food took long enough to kill the cow and fish for shrimp. Hubby loved it. Me, not so much.
Great experience at Cray Taste! The restaurant is very clean, inviting and the servers are very friendly. They are essentially BYOB, but offer about 4-5 signature cocktails. I ordered the rum punch. It was so good! Chef/owner, Smiff, is a very passionate guy. He loves to greet the guest, when he can, in addition to creating an effective team approach to customer service. I ordered the Bronze Salmon (recommended by chef Smith). 8oz Pan seared Salmon topped with Cajun Cream Sauce 1pc Shrimp served with creamy mash and sautéed spinach. This was probably the best tasting salmon dish I've had in a long time. Very tasty, full of delicious flavours. The creamy mash was outstandingly delicious! I should've ordered a side dish to go. The restaurant is very spacious inside. Very accommodating for larger groups. Live music at times over the weekend. Parking is plentiful. Either metered parking or garage parking very close to the restaurant. I'm looking forward to coming back. Please give them a visit. Chef Smiff will be very happy to meet you.
My 3 stars doesn't mean this place is bad, it's solid. Some of the food was tasty, others seemed out the box, and there wasn't a lot of organization with service BUT the price is right and its BYOB. SERVICE: The "bartender" was our server and she had to keep walking out and around the long bar to wait tables while also fixing drinks. Not her fault, but definitely don't see how that's sustainable if it was even a little busier. SPACE: This is a sizable restaurant compared to other Old City spots and so with a reservation it could handle larger groups. Decor is minimal. DRINKS: It's BYOB with a liquor store a block away. They also make good specialty drinks if you ask. FOOD: Mmm we didnt try a lot but it was definitely hit or miss. Together my fish & grits were delicioussss. But the grits on their own were more buttery vs cheesy as described on the menu. My husband liked his stuffed shrimp but the sides were def premade and the next time we would def skip the seafood mac. PRICE: I feel like my fish & grits was like $15 and my portion was filling so definitely approve!
Awesome! Wow! We loved this restaurant. A group of us brought wine from a nearby liquor store to have alcohol with our meal (it's BYOB). Our meals were outstanding. I had the chefs salad with chicken and shrimp, several had Bronze Salmon and the dynamite shrimp, and one had the crab cake. Everyone cleaned their plate!! The service was outstanding - friendly and knowledgeable. The ambiance was very hip with great music. Love real tablecloths and napkins! We'll be back!!
First time at Cray Taste celebrating the holidays with some friends and I'm still not sure how I felt about my experience here. The server was all over the place, in the weeds and she should've asked for help. Sweet girl and super personable but her level of professionalism was at an all time zero. We waited for so many things that we shouldn't have--Waited for our drinks, waited for the menu for hookah then the hookah, waited for the food... It was just one thing after another with this place, maybe I'll have to catch them on a weekday at their least busiest because to my surprise the food was actually pretty good. I can't say anything that was brought out to the table was bad, even the hookah was nice. But good food and hookah does not make it okay to give out poor service. We did not receive one apology from the staff or management and it really put a bad taste in everyone's mouth because it was most of our first time there. Not a good look Cray Taste, but who knows maybe I'll be back to update my review
I've been to this place a couple times. The first time was on a Tuesday night. The food was great, the service was great and we even got complimentary mimosas. Everything came out in a timely manner and my girlfriend and I really enjoyed ourselves. Since I had such a great time the first time I told my family to come back with me. At first it was great. The ambiance was nice, they were playing great black throwbacks and my family was loving it. We ordered pretty quickly and I got my appetizer fast but then that was the only food I got for the next hour and a half. We came back in a Saturday night and it was a lot busier so we expected a wait but not a 2 hour wait. I still thought the food was good but the service could've been better. Overall i think it's a great place with great food but be mindful when you go because you could have a long wait.
Came here for Sunday brunch because I was craving shrimp and grits. Could have been a bit cheesier, but the shrimp were cooked very well. They were having a day party with a dj, which was a great vibe. Service was a lil slow but the staff were very nice. So, why only two stars? A friend checked-in and was told it was an hour wait (even though there were a bunch of open tables). I walked in 5 minutes later and was told it was a 15 minute wait. She didn't make a big deal of it, but I know it made her feel uncomfortable there.
3 years ago
Finally had a chance to order from this local Black-owned spot. I ordered a Po Boy "Craystyle" to go. The restaurant was empty except for one other couple. It was a weekday so I guess that is to be expected. The interior decor was simple and not too over the top. There is ample space for large parties (and from what I am told -- "the turn up"!). The sandwich itself had a good amount of shrimp however, the bread was a quite dry. There was a nice drizzle of sauce in the middle of the open-faced sandwich however... It was almost like they forgot to spread the remoulade or whatever sauce they used ON THE ACTUAL BREAD. I ended up discarding the bread and eating the interior since it was just too dry to enjoy as a sandwich. The fries were also a little underwhelming. Some of the fries were a raw and undercooked. The crab on top .... womp womp. It was a drizzle of shredded crab. No lump crab meat at all. I should have known by the picture but I had hoped for better and I definitely expected a little more crab for a $30 plate. Important to note, the cheese sauce and the "cray bong" sauce with the old bay was a great combination. Overall, I am still tempted to give this spot another try. I am a sucker for soul-food style seafood and they have a few additional items on their menu that I have an interest to taste. Hoping to give the crab fries one more try. read more
Let me first start off by saying the service was very good. Thank you Amina for taking care of our table. Now on to what was a disappointment. I ordered the BBQ Chicken and Mac Spring Rolls as my appetizer and the Dynamite Stuffed Shrimp with yellow rice and greens. The appetizer was dry and bland besides the drizzler of BBQ sauce. The roll taste like it was old and reheated in the microwave. I was at dinner with one of my girlfriends and asked her to try it just in case it was me. Nope, she said it was bad. When Amina came to our table to check on us, I informed her that I was not happy with my appetizer. She shared my feedback with the kitchen and they offered to remake it for me. The second order was better but it's not an item I would recommend to someone. The entree was a disappointment as well. The shrimp were small and I did not see where and how it was stuffed with the shrimp being the size they were. The upside to the shrimp was the flavoring/sauce were delicious. No complaints there. The yellow rice looked dry and was dry but I attempted to work with it by using the sauce from the shrimp but once I started crunching on the rice, I was over it. Now onto the greens. Geez, they were just bad. The greens looked like they were cooked with zero "love". I tried a small fork of the greens in hopes they tasted better than they looked and I was disappointed. The taste was as if they were stored with bad fish. So I smelled the greens and it was terrible. Perhaps this was an off day for the kitchen or just an unfortunate experience for me. I took a leaf of the greens and gave them to my girlfriend to smell and she agreed they smelled like seafood. Not what you want for your vegetable. Once again Amina came to our table to check on us and I asked her to smell my greens. She said they smelled like greens to her which was surprising to me but she offered to swamp them out for a different side dish so I opted for the mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were okay but would not be something I ordered again if I for someone reason decided to return to this restaurant. I did not request anything to be removed from my bill, I paid it, gave a little extra tip for Amina's service. read more
You wanna know something, Philly has little secrets that only the locals talk about & cray taste is one of them . We just woke up from a LONG night and just KNEW we were going to order anything take out and head back to our hotel, I honestly didnt think this establishment was such a lit brunch spot - I thought it was going to be like all the other cafe's we've visited, quiet with only the people dining and conversing amongst one another - NOPE ! when we got to Cray taste and the music was JUMPING ! Everyone was dressed up, had a themed birthday group along with other birthdays being celebrated in every corner . We were completely under dresses HOWEVER , the hostess assured us we were fine and got us a table (we decided to dine in lol) Its a BYOB so we ended up going to grab a bottle of champagne for some mimosas and began ordering. We both ordered the whiting combo that comes with fried whiting with crab meat and shrimp and cheese grits and it was delicious! And contrary to other reviews, we didnt wait long at all . I wish I had it in me to order more things off the menu but I missed my bed and that bottle of champagne reminded me of that . I cant wait to come back ! read more
3 years ago
Service is usually good, attentive and interactive with customers. Wings are great! They are cooked perfectly and they offer a variety of sauces (Cray Sauce and Mumbo are my go to.) Fish sandwich was very satisfying and flavorful, definitely won't leave wanted for more. Love the Rasta Pasta , it's a great first dish to try there. Personally love the Banana Roll dessert, pairs well after most entrees and just sweet enough for me. If you prefer calm vibes, come during week. Party vibes come on the weekends, perfect balance to me when a restaurant can do both! read more
Idk, I am on the fence with this place. The vibe was really good, good music and extra friendly faces but we didnt realize that this place encourages you to Bring your own bottle, which is not a bad thing but more of an unexpected thing. The food menu is amazing, but the food was just ok, nothing seemed cooked to order, nothing was pipping hot out of the grease and we ordered whiting. We are in Philly so of course my friend tried the cheesesteak egg rolls, which were a hit, I ordered the whiting platter with greens and mac & cheese. The vibe was really nice, the service was great! I would definitely recommend this place to a group, very spacious and very friendly service, they just got to get some Alcohol behind those bars. read more
We love a Black owned business, add Cray Taste in Old City to your list. I used to live in the DMV (where DC is legit the Black brunch capital of the world, don't @ me ) so my standards are high.... I'll say this-- Cray Taste has potential! Good food, yummy drinks, decent ambiance, and the DJ was playing the jams. I see y'all! Pictured here-- steak and eggs and some sort of punch with either rum or vodka. Shame on me for forgetting, lol! read more
A great local spot with delicious soul food - we really enjoyed meeting the chef too! I came in with my husband on a Friday evening. IT was on the earlier side, so the restaurant was more on the quieter end. Atmosphere: There was a lot of space inside. It has a more casual feel, but also nice ambiance / could be a great date spot too. Our food came out relatively quickly (probably because there were less people). Food: We loved the chicken wings (especially the sauce!) and the po'boy we ordered. I thought the sauce was particularly flavorful and different from what I usually eat. Overall: 5/5 - I still need to come back! We loved the experience and recommend anybody looking to try something new! read more
3 years ago
My husband and I had the worst service from our waitress/bartender, Sydney. I'm applaud she is even employed because her customer service skills are terrible. She approached our table with an attitude, and it carried it during the entire time we were dining. She barely checked on us, never asked if we wanted refills on our drinks, didn't bring any condiments with our food, and appeared irritated that another employee asked us if we needed anything. She didn't know what the kitchen was out off so when we ordered stuff, she would return to tell us the item wasn't available. To add salt to the evening, they automatically charge 20% gratuity, so there is no incentive for her to change her nasty attitude. The food was good although each item took an extremely long time to come out. We ordered wings, cheesesteak egg rolls, chicken sandwich (that she initially brought out with fish on it), and fish with 2 sides. One of the sides was out, so it kind of ruined the meal for my husband. Definitely won't be back, but I wanted to share our experience. read more
When I noticed Cray Taste opened right down my block I was happy to give it a try for a Sunday brunch. I was greeted warmly at the door and noticed the place looks better than it did when it was a different restaurant. Nice ambiance with a couple of places for taking Instagram worthy photos. For brunch I ordered chicken & red velvet waffles. My friend ordered shrimp & grits, with a side of mac & cheese. The waitress told us they make slushies, so we both ordered slushies as well. The chicken and waffles were outstanding. The chicken wings were perfectly seasoned and cooked, and so juicy. I'm a huge fan of red velvet cake, and these red velvet waffles did not disappoint. A step up from the usual waffles. I couldn't resist having some of the mac & cheese with my wings as well. The mac & cheese was delicious. A restaurant can't legitimately claim to have soul food without a great mac & cheese dish and cray taste delivered. I had a mango slushy and my friend had a cherry slushy. Both were delicious. Service was outstanding as well. The waitress took good care of us. The only thing Cray Taste is missing is a liquor license. They have a large bar, so I do hope at some point they start making drinks there. I'm happy to have a five star restaurant serving soul food right on my block. I plan to be a regular customer! read more
2 years ago
Just ok. Didn't like the hoki tables all around us. Put them somewhere else. Weird. Waitress was sweet. Food took long enough to kill the cow and fish for shrimp. Hubby loved it. Me, not so much. read more
Great experience at Cray Taste! The restaurant is very clean, inviting and the servers are very friendly. They are essentially BYOB, but offer about 4-5 signature cocktails. I ordered the rum punch. It was so good! Chef/owner, Smiff, is a very passionate guy. He loves to greet the guest, when he can, in addition to creating an effective team approach to customer service. I ordered the Bronze Salmon (recommended by chef Smith). 8oz Pan seared Salmon topped with Cajun Cream Sauce 1pc Shrimp served with creamy mash and sautéed spinach. This was probably the best tasting salmon dish I've had in a long time. Very tasty, full of delicious flavours. The creamy mash was outstandingly delicious! I should've ordered a side dish to go. The restaurant is very spacious inside. Very accommodating for larger groups. Live music at times over the weekend. Parking is plentiful. Either metered parking or garage parking very close to the restaurant. I'm looking forward to coming back. Please give them a visit. Chef Smiff will be very happy to meet you. read more
My 3 stars doesn't mean this place is bad, it's solid. Some of the food was tasty, others seemed out the box, and there wasn't a lot of organization with service BUT the price is right and its BYOB. SERVICE: The "bartender" was our server and she had to keep walking out and around the long bar to wait tables while also fixing drinks. Not her fault, but definitely don't see how that's sustainable if it was even a little busier. SPACE: This is a sizable restaurant compared to other Old City spots and so with a reservation it could handle larger groups. Decor is minimal. DRINKS: It's BYOB with a liquor store a block away. They also make good specialty drinks if you ask. FOOD: Mmm we didnt try a lot but it was definitely hit or miss. Together my fish & grits were delicioussss. But the grits on their own were more buttery vs cheesy as described on the menu. My husband liked his stuffed shrimp but the sides were def premade and the next time we would def skip the seafood mac. PRICE: I feel like my fish & grits was like $15 and my portion was filling so definitely approve! read more
Awesome! Wow! We loved this restaurant. A group of us brought wine from a nearby liquor store to have alcohol with our meal (it's BYOB). Our meals were outstanding. I had the chefs salad with chicken and shrimp, several had Bronze Salmon and the dynamite shrimp, and one had the crab cake. Everyone cleaned their plate!! The service was outstanding - friendly and knowledgeable. The ambiance was very hip with great music. Love real tablecloths and napkins! We'll be back!! read more
First time at Cray Taste celebrating the holidays with some friends and I'm still not sure how I felt about my experience here. The server was all over the place, in the weeds and she should've asked for help. Sweet girl and super personable but her level of professionalism was at an all time zero. We waited for so many things that we shouldn't have--Waited for our drinks, waited for the menu for hookah then the hookah, waited for the food... It was just one thing after another with this place, maybe I'll have to catch them on a weekday at their least busiest because to my surprise the food was actually pretty good. I can't say anything that was brought out to the table was bad, even the hookah was nice. But good food and hookah does not make it okay to give out poor service. We did not receive one apology from the staff or management and it really put a bad taste in everyone's mouth because it was most of our first time there. Not a good look Cray Taste, but who knows maybe I'll be back to update my review read more
3 years ago
I've been to this place a couple times. The first time was on a Tuesday night. The food was great, the service was great and we even got complimentary mimosas. Everything came out in a timely manner and my girlfriend and I really enjoyed ourselves. Since I had such a great time the first time I told my family to come back with me. At first it was great. The ambiance was nice, they were playing great black throwbacks and my family was loving it. We ordered pretty quickly and I got my appetizer fast but then that was the only food I got for the next hour and a half. We came back in a Saturday night and it was a lot busier so we expected a wait but not a 2 hour wait. I still thought the food was good but the service could've been better. Overall i think it's a great place with great food but be mindful when you go because you could have a long wait. read more
3 years ago
Came here for Sunday brunch because I was craving shrimp and grits. Could have been a bit cheesier, but the shrimp were cooked very well. They were having a day party with a dj, which was a great vibe. Service was a lil slow but the staff were very nice. So, why only two stars? A friend checked-in and was told it was an hour wait (even though there were a bunch of open tables). I walked in 5 minutes later and was told it was a 15 minute wait. She didn't make a big deal of it, but I know it made her feel uncomfortable there. read more
4 years ago
The Food was good it was seasoned very well and prepared in perfect portions too! THE SERVICE WAS PHENOMENAL we were a big party so we had two servers Danesha was one and she was AMAZING very attentive to us, she made sure we were satisfied with everything she explained the menu items patiently when asked! You just don't get service like this anymore so when you do it's much appreciated and makes you want to go back! read more
3 years ago
The service was outstanding and very welcoming! It's definitely a vibe there and I'll be returning very soon. Not to mention it is BYOB too!! read more
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Cray taste is a great soul food and southern experience. From food to Ambiance to music it was great! I would give them five stars but the Service wasn't the best. I've been twice and the first time was a calm Tuesday night not too many people and service was okay! I really enjoyed the complimentary mimosas. I was impressed so my wife and I brought our family back with us the second time on a Saturday night. Same great music and food but we waited two hours for the entire table to get their food. They're seemed to be a lack communication between staff but the manager accommodated our wait at the end. Overall I would say they have great food but it's best to come on a date (not with your family) and not on a Saturday night. read more
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We traveled from NYC for a bday brunch at this establishment. We were a large party. We arrived on time for a 3pm seating. The tables were not set up as requested for our group. We were given foam pates and plastic forks to eat with, while other patrons had proper plates and utensils. This was supped to be a buffet style brunch, but the food was coming out very slow and a little at a time. We were a party of over 20 people. We all traveled back to NYC hungry and frustrated. Don't take a reservation and a deposit if you could not accommodate our group. read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
Randomly came to this spot 1. Because it's black owned 2. The menu look appealing for what I was in the mood for. To start off the music was way too loud, we could barely hear ourself talk to one another let alone hear what our server was saying. But we'll by pass that, it seems like a young crowd and I understand the whole brunch "turn up" mood, plus I did like the music. Onto the service which was sub par, as someone who has been in the service industry for over 20 years I do give grace to new businesses but our server was terrible for the place to not even be crowded. We were never given silverware and we watched our drinks just sit there for several minutes to the point where I had to get up twice and ask for these things. Maybe our server Brielle was new, idk but those are things that stick out to me when considering returning. In addition to that, just checking up on the table, asking do we need additional napkins, drinks, etc would have been nice. On to the good part. The food was great, i had the fried snapper and some rum punch which was also great. My guy had the wings and shrimp app and that was also really good. Would we go back? Ehhhhhhhh, not particularly. The staff was nice but we eat out a lot and have absolutely no problem paying for food service and this just was not it. I wish the business the best and hope they can improve in that area. read more
3 years ago
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