This place was closed today by the NYC Health Department. They found numerous health violations.read more

I chose this place to have lunch with a large group because I liked the name. At first glance, it's…read moremore of a takeout spot, but there's another room with a bar like set up and a bunch of chairs. We were allowed to overtake that space, which was very nice. I ordered the Broiled Salmon, with sides of Candied Yams and Lobster Mac. The Salmon was delightfully tender, flaky, slightly crispy, and well seasoned. The Yams were soft and sweet. Lobster Mac definitely lacked Lobster, but had plenty of cheesiness. Service was good. Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Prices were decent. Only thing was that they only take credit card. I would visit again at some point, but wouldn't go out of my way to do so. If I return, I would try the Fried Fish, Shrimp and Fries.

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!

Overall, it wasn't that great of an experience. I had the chicken and waffle. Three stars for the…read morefried chicken. It tasted good but was a little pink in a couple of parts. The waffle and cornbread was just ok. My waitress was efficient but not friendly and she rushed through everything. She set the tone for why I didn't enjoy my visit. I still tipped her but I won't be coming back. One of the reasons I came was to support a black owned business, but it's not black owned anymore.

You can't go to Harlem and not get some soul food, and Sylvia's did NOT disappoint…read more I went with the meatloaf, collard greens, mac & cheese, and potato salad, and the whole plate was hitting. The meatloaf was tender and the sauce was , the greens were seasoned right, and the mac & cheese was exactly what I wanted it to be. Even the potato salad held its own. Nothing fancy or trying too hard. Just really, REALLY good comfort food from a Harlem institution. I'd absolutely come back. Palate don't lie. ‍

@sylvias is a nice classic spot for some good soul food! It's been around since the 1960s. I got…read morethe mac and cheese, rice, and catfish which were all delicious! Everything was tasty and flavorful. Their corn bread was divine as well as their peach cobbler! Service was quick and efficient, we were seated quickly and our food also came out quickly. The server also suggested certain things and gave good suggestions. They said to get the cat fish instead of the other fish dish, since the other fish would have bones. This place is busy, but there is plenty of seating available and this place is huge. It was kind of hard to track down the waiter for the check, since it gets busier later in the evening. Sylvia also has her own sauce which they served, and that you can also find in supermarkets. Price: $30-40 Rating: 8.5/10

I would love to give Melba's a higher rating, but it's just too inconsistent unfortunately. The…read morefood should be consistent. Consistent seasoning, flavors, and cook. The collard greens were just perfectly tangy and savory last week and this week they are bitter and spicy. There were red pepper flakes in it this time which weren't there last time. The Mac and cheese was dry and overcooked this week when last week it was PERFECT. The short rib last week was falling off the bone. This week it's so tough. It's not the first time I've felt like this. I took my parents to Melba's last year after initially loving my first experience with them. I had been talking Melba's up to them all week and we went and it was just so so. And we're from GA so we know our soul food. It was embarrassing. I personally feel that a restaurant's recipes should be consistent regardless of who's in the kitchen and especially when they charge so much.

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.

We were hungry after going back to school shopping on 125th Jacob's is on a corner on Lenox and…read more129th st. I cannot believe k have never encountered this place!! They have outdoor seating where you can take your food after you pay and eat. It's per pound and cheaper if you pay in cash 10.99 if you use credit or debit. It's a great deal considering most places are $14 per lb and up. they have a large selection of soul food, and salads and fresh fruit. They have a fridge with desserts like sweet potato pie etc. they are always replenishing so the food is fresh. There is also indoor seating and there was an old school three piece band playing r and b hits from the golden age. They were amazing and added to the ambiance. Service was good and to the point the place seemed very popular I'll be back again soon. Hopefully the band is there! Don't forget to tip them!

We were very excited to go to sisters but it was closed. We almost settled for this other spot…read morearound the corner, but we arrived and I hesitated. It looked a little too sterile and new, so we stood in the rain while i maintained my stubborn ways, in pursuit of whatever it was that I wanted that I could not exactly put into words. Everything was looking too expensive, too clean and fake, or there were no options for dine in, and we needed to sit our wet butts down and take cover from the rain. My phone was ready to give out from the rain, I'm tilting it up towards the sky, trying to keep raindrops from landing on the screen when I finally scroll to Jacob restaurant. My heart starts to flutter upon realizing we've found a soul food hot bar buffet, only half a mile away. We are overly excited and pack our platters so high that we actually have to tell ourselves to calm down. I'm reminded of when I was a child and my dad would take me to the Wegmans hot bar where I'd run up a tab for $15 worth of steamed white rice. But not today, today there is salmon, curry goat, collard greens, mac and cheese, black eyed peas, candied yams, and green beans. It was exactly the kind of snake meal we needed to end a long weekend of biking all over New York. Everything was hot, well seasoned and made with love. We watched the world cup as it poured rain, we left happy and ready to go home, but I feel grateful knowing I have a spot I would love to return to whenever I'm in New York again. We took banana pudding to go and ate it on our bus ride home while debriefing all the fun we had.

To be fair, I came early Sunday evening and a lot of things had run out. No fish or ribs left. But,…read morethe baked chix with the stuffing more than made up for things. The stuffing tasted fresh, not soggy. Added some gravy and yams. I normally don't like candied yams but Manna's are so good. Oxtails were okay. I mixed the collards with the black-eyed peas and it worked. The turkey wings looked terrific, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

Listen, I bought food from Manna's on a Saturday, and it was so good that my mom and I had to turn…read moreright back around and drive down to Harlem again (from Rockland) just to get more. I am Haitian, so trust me when I tell you I know good food when I taste it. This is the kind of food that makes you hum while you eat. The kind of food that makes you forget about your diet and your errands because nothing else matters in that moment except what's on your plate. The flavors were rich, seasoned all the way through, and every bite tasted like somebody's auntie or grandma was in the kitchen putting real love into it. What I really love is that it's buffet style, so you already know I was piling my plate with everything that called my name. You get exactly what you want and as much of it as you want, which makes it even better. Harlem has so many gems, but Manna's is one of those places where you can feel the community and the history in the food. The price is more than fair for how satisfied you will leave, and you will be thinking about that plate long after you finish it. When I say this place is worth the trip, I mean it. If you see me driving down to Harlem again, mind your business, because it is probably just me, my mom, and grandma (who came along for the second ride) going back for another round.

I've been trying to come here for so long! The starters/snacks are awesome. The deviled eggs are…read morereally nice love the sauces around it. Solid. The cornbread was fantastic and the spread on it too. The fried catfish with black eyed peas was just ok. It was tasty! But maybe I had my expectations too high. Really tasty spot. Outdoor seating was nice. Jazz inside. Friendly waiter.

This was my first visit to Red Rooster. Our group had a reservation for a Friday night. We were…read moreseated immediately upon our arrival. Our waitress was pretty good. She attempted to take a drink order for a group of ten without writing it down. She had to ask people their drink order a couple of times. Other than than she did a good job. We ordered from the special Harlem Week menu, which was a three course meal. The Deviled Egg appetizer with cornbread was delicious. The Sweet Potato Coconut Soup was good (I'm not a coconut fan). I had the catfish over black eyed peas plate. The catfish was good but I was disappointed to learn they didn't have any tartar sauce. The live entertainment, Amaya Knoelle and the Residency Band were very entertaining and they put on a great show! I would return here whenever I'm visiting NYC.

I was craving some soul food and was very happy to try this place out! We came here during a cold…read moreweekend lunch and there weren't many people at the restaurants. They have a few booster seats around the sides of the room and it mainly seemed like a take-out place. We ordered a large oxtail with a side of baked mac & cheese and collard greens and it was delicious. We shared it between two people and we almost couldn't finish it. The oxtail basically fell off the bone and was very tender and flavorful. I like the mac & cheese as well although I wish there was more cheese as it felt a bit carb heavy. But the real star was the collard greens which were incredibly tender and soaked up all the meat juices it was marinated in. Will definitely be back to try more items!

Food is delicious and clearly made with care! I've ordered multiple times and have never been…read moredisappointed.

The food is fantastic. The service is amazing…read more The staff is very friendly and courteous. The establishment is nice and clean and the portions of food is enough to share with another person.

I ordered the Garlic Chicken on Grubhub last night around 10p.m…read more with mac &cheese,yams and vegetable rice. Could barely find the Garlic chicken pieces and when I did so hard could not eat. Also order another plate that was not packaged. Everything else was good except the string beans in the rice was not tender enough for me. On You-tube this restaurant looks awesome and so does the food. I think I ordered to late and the chicken was hard. I will try again

Fast service, chicken was gas pretty cheap, very welcoming environment and definitely a must haveread more

When I got home with my rib platter they were burnt and hard, greens were too salty to eat and the…read moreMac and cheese was dry and overcooked that huge chunk of corn bread was not tasty or edible. This was my first and last time patronizing this place