Had an amazing, welcoming experience here last night. Every server was incredibly personable and…read morekind, going above and beyond to take care of us. The chef herself came out to greet us before our meal and gave us all a warm hug. The restaurant is small but very cozy, with themed decor all over. It was worth the 3 month wait. All the food was fantastic with very large portions that can easily be shared. Don't sleep on this spot.

This 5 star rating is for the top of line service and warmth that we received during our experience…read moreat Shaw-nae's. What started off as a very unsettling experience turned into us walking out of the door feeling like an extension of family. There was a bit of a mixup with our reservation and we almost felt like we weren't going to be seated after booking in May for my brother's birthday! But, once it was confirmed that the mix up was on their end, they apologized and went above and beyond to ensure that our evening was special. Nike and Jennifer were amazing. They went above and beyond--extremely personable and pleasant. We didn't wait long for any course to be served.. ambience is so cozy--not a big space at all... you feel as though you're in someone's home. Playlist was spot on. It was just really nice. We truly appreciated Shaw-nae coming out to interact with us and discuss her love of family and food. She is truly passionate abd gracious about what she has created and you can experience it throughout your visit. Food: Everything was beautifully presented and the portion sizes are out of this world. We have a whole other meal that we took back -so much food! We started off with complimentary cornbread--different flavors--it was a nice touch. And this sweet potato cornbread (maybe) was truly decadent and delicious. My husband's fried fish and my oxtail were good, but probably needed a bit more seasoning to really take it over the top, but the oxtails were super tender and plentiful. I didn't really care for the rice that came with my oxtails--collards were tender but a little too salty for me--my husband likes his that way.. the baked mac and cheese was really good.. the shrimp mac was good but I wasn't a super fan--it reminded me of fake cheese but I am sure it wasn't. The star of the show were the wings! OMG, these were the best wings I've ever had --sugar daddy and honey butter wings... out of this world. I would go back just for the wings--and I'm not even a big wing person! We left happy and full of delicious food and energy. I would highly recommend that anyone comes to check it out themselves.

Best soul food ever! Sherrie is the owner and chef. Her cousin Benita a sweetheart. I had…read moreoxtails, candied yams and rice, husband had fried chicken, collard greens and mac and cheese. The food was authentic and so delicious. Sherrie and Benita will make you feel welcomed the minute you step into the place. I love small businesses and they have a fan in me and my husband. If you are ever on Staten Island by Empire Outlets or taking a ferry ride, it's only a 10 minute walk, which will be so worth it.

Great food but shady neighborhood. I got the ox tail with sweet potatoes Mac and cheese and collard…read moregreens she gave me a free slice of cake! I will be back! I'm just now a fan of the neighborhood

We stopped by here for lunch after taking the ferry. The lady at the counter was very professional…read more When we said it was our first time here, she gave us a generous sample plate of literally everything they had that day. The oxtail, chicken curry and jerk chicken were really good. Veggies and mac were solid, but didn't love the rice. I got the large oxtail plate ($25) which normally comes with rice and 2 more sides, but they let me pick any 3 sides so I got cabbage, green beans, and mac n cheese. The plate was served in a large takeout container and it was stuffed to the brim with everything. They don't skimp on the oxtail. It was tender, juicy, and had a good flavor. My partner ordered the chicken and waffles ($14) which unfortunately he didn't like as much. He said the chicken was tough and the waffle was just ok. But he liked the mac n cheese. But just FYI, the block is seedy, and there was a seedy character hanging out inside that the employee kicked out.

Service very friendly. Staff helpful. Ordered for pick up because Holland bay was listed…read moretemporarily closed . If I compare a large helping from SI fish for price and servings, theres no comparison. Holland bay is gracious with their oxtail and sauce and will give more of that than rice and peas or cabbage depending on your preference. Si fish portion is half what you could get at Holland bay. It also has the consistency of being a day old and lost its juices along the way unlike Holland bay . Mac and cheese was good and cabbage great. Rice and peas had the same feeling of sitting around for a bit. This could be my bad ordering at the end of a day. For 25$ you can get the freshest juiciest oxtail at Holland bay but if that's not an option I need to order from SI fish bright and early and in person to truly test the food. I wouldnt intentionally order oxtail from here again but I haven't tried their other dishes so I will be back to try other things. This is my first impression of the spot since they moved from montgomery ave and took off. Kool-aid is bangin. TbC

We wanted authentic Caribbean & we got it!!! We had the Mac and cheese, jerk chicken with rice &…read moreoxtail gravy. SO SO SO DELICIOUS with a pineapple Jamaican sof drink! Walking in the environment was already so welcoming and homey. 10/10

Amazing service and the food was stupendous! 10 out of 10. I will be back when I come to Philly…read moreagain.

Glad when there's a new Uber Eats listing that isn't a liquor store. I got the turkey wings. Though…read moreI generally applaud efforts to move turkey beyond the realm of inoffensive lunch meat, this was too bony and small, but I enjoyed the sauce. Mac and cheese was enjoyable. The standout item was collard greens, with smoked turkey enhancing but not dominating the proceedings.

Been wanting to try this place out for a minute, and i have to say that it was a good choice. I…read morecame here for lunch with my wife and she also loved it. We came here a early for lunch and there wasn't many people there yet so the service was excellent. It a nice cozy spot and everything was nice and fresh.

A quaint restaurant in Union, NJ that has some staple soul food items. I have gone for the baked…read moreturkey wings, Mac n cheese, cabbage and string beans, cornbread. The food is good, service is friendly. I tried the fried and the baked wings, I'd love to know what the other crowds favorite outside of the wings are.

I bumped into this spot on a whim cuz the wife was in the mood for yams after scrolling and seeing…read morea few soul food posts. So I decided to venture here since it was closest in the area at the time. The inside was cozy and quaint, I took my food to go but had to wait a bit even though I ordered ahead, but dude DID say it would take 25-30 min for my order. Polite young man I should add. I don't mind the wait cause I could hear the fryer heavy at work in the back, and I've learned not to rush the process. I will say for it to be a soul food spot, I would've expected a bit more of variety besides fish and wings. I also hate that they were out of a lot of stuff, from whiting to collard greens, and while I'm waiting I overheard dude tell another customer they were out of Mac & cheese. Soooo.. fingers crossed on how this meal goes.. Sure enough... They messed up the order... I ordered double mac and unfortunately, since they're out of it, there's nothing that can be done ... Not to mention, they forgot to give me my shrimp so I had to turn around for that .. hopefully the food is good, again fingers crossed.. I'll update shortly when I get back to the crib Ok, let's get to the food, cause that's the main reason we're here... Yams - 10.. These were clearly the star of the meal!! they were cooked down to perfection, with a beautiful sweet glaze, and I have zero complaints at all!! Wings - 8.. I got the Thai chili wings, which were good and fried well, and nice size wings, I just expected a little bit of spice. But again no complaints. I'd order them again. I had one of My Son's honey barbecue wings, and those were pretty good too. Mac - best of MID! The Mac wasn't bad. The problem is, there was no successful marriage between the macaroni noodles and the cheese itself. There were several times where I would have a fork full of cheese and two noodles, which was a pretty unpleasant bite. Yes I love cheesy mac & cheese for sure, but I like it to be GELLED together in Harmony This seemed like they took chunks of cheese and mixed it into the boiled macaroni and baked it. Again, it didn't taste bad, the ingredients just didn't merge. Shrimp - 9. I'm glad I turned around to get these shrimp that they initially forgot. But shrimp were very nice sized, plump, seasoned very well and crisp but not over fried. Great job here, no complaints at all. I actually am looking forward to having their shrimp again next time I come. Overall, I enjoyed the food. And unfortunately, Yelp doesn't give half stars. But I would be remiss to give them a three, being that these were just human errors and that's OK in my opinion. As I said, the young man was very polite that helped me with my order, and again the food was very good. So yes, I hated that my order wasn't accurate, but they did their best to rectify it and served good food. That said, I'll definitely come back and suggest this spot to others.

I give Monai's Soul Food 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4. Considering black-owned businesses are few…read morea far between in the Central NJ area, I made it a point to go support one for Juneteenth. After trying to decide between a handful of places, I decided on Monai's mostly because I saw they have a parking lot and I just simply wasn't in the mood to be searching around for street parking that day. When I arrived, I asked for a menu and after looking it over, I decided on the sweet chili wings with mac & cheese and green beans. I was told the wait would be 20-25 minutes. It did take a little bit longer than that. It was probably more like 30-35 minutes. I sat at one of the empty tables while I waited. They had a good playlist of r&b music playing which made the wait a little more favorable. Once my food was ready, I took my food to go. My favorite part of my meal was the chicken wings. They were cooked and seasoned well. The sweet chili sauce was the icing on the cake. The sides were just okay to me. The mac & cheese could use a little more of something...maybe a little touch of salt or seasoning. The green beans were nothing special and tasted like they came from a can. The sides weren't terrible or inedible, but could use a little more of something. With that being said, it was good enough that I'd return. I would like try some of their other entrees.

Food good and fresh. Service was great…read more Ambiance was homely and inviting. The staff was friendly and engaging with all customers.

The food The Service A+…read moreThe Ambience is A+ The food is fresh, very flavorful and delicious..Not high in sodium like alot of soulfood restaurants. I enjoy watching how the entire family vibe with one another. The Universe has them Covered

I had them for dinner. I ordered the jerk chicken, Mac and cheese and yellow rice.. it was…read moredelicious.

Amazing Taste is genuinely good food. Takeout is the main way I enjoy it, and it's always fresh…read morewith a wide variety of treats and entrees. Anything fried is amazing, and the veggies are well maintained and taste great. The establishment always hooks me up with utensils and has everything ready to go. It's a staple in the central Jersey area, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants soul food. It's Black-owned and delivers great comfort food, service is good, and it seems to keep growing.

This soul food spot is pretty tasty. I ordered the golden fried catfish. The catfish was crispy and…read moretheir homemade batter was delicious. For my sides I got the candied yams and the collard greens. The candied yams were so good! I definitely enjoyed that side and the collard greens were okay. The meal came with a side of cornbread. My mother ordered their fried pork chop and got the collard greens and mac & cheese. She did mentioned that the mac & cheese was a little dry and could have been a little more creamy.

As promised, I went back, daylight, still cold. The food is…read morestill delicious and the owner- still very sweet and friendly. The area is no longer as foreboding since I can see better. This time, I got Tilapia with mac n cheese & collard greens. Whiting with man n cheese with string beans. YUMMY! I will most definitely go back. Thank you for the home cooking taste and the human touch at the counter. May your business thrive some more!!!