This little hole in the wall with the hide-a-way back is the best kept secret. The collards are…read moreslamming, the fried fish is nice and fresh and crispy and the owner is the kindest owner of a business that I know. I always have my little reunions here! Try it You'll like it. Like Majestic and Pats from back in the day!

Loved - Freshly fried catfish…read more- Shrimp and grits - Collard greens - Candied yams Great to take over to Central Park

Please kNOw THIS; this restaurant is NOT a Black Owned, Nor Black operated. Nor do they have Black…read morefolk cooking their food in the kitchen. And they use burning & sugar in everything. Hip Hip hooray for diabetes! They are absolutely thee WORSE!

After an epic trek through Central Park I decided it was time to reward myself with some fried…read morechicken. I have to say for me the star of the show is the greens. Best I have had in a long time they made the Greens just like my father used to make them! This place is insanely good they show love to their sides. Really nice art work celebrating black excellence. If you love soul food come here. 10/10

Our Family of 10 had the hostess name Alia on last Sunday. Alia was professional, kind, attentive…read moreand amazing. Our family spoke about the fact when we come back we would love to have Alia be our Hostess again.

Friendly and knowledgeable servers. Great playlist! Good food…read more Being from the south, i am quite particular about soul food. Was not disappointed!

The food here is incredible. Large portions and prices that are refreshing to see in this economy…read more I was visiting from the south and had given up on finding a solid, delicious dinner until I lucked up on this restaurant. Service was great and the restaurant was pleasant and filled with natural light. We didn't have a reservation but there was no problem to be seated quickly and served promptly. Took off one star because a member of my dinner party had trouble returning their side of collard greens due to it being too salty. A staff member who wasn't our original waitress, pressed them to choose another one. So I'm not sure if this restaurant allows you to take an item off the bill if it misses the mark but I'd still return in a heartbeat.

Melba's delivered that Southern hospitality from start to finish. I was warmly greeted right away,…read moreand the staff took the time to actually chat while my table was being prepared, which made the whole experience feel genuine and welcoming. The food is the real spotlight. The smothered chicken with collard greens and mac and cheese is a must. The yams were perfectly done but definitely on the sweeter side, so just something to keep in mind. I already know I need to come back to try the fried chicken next time. If you are looking for a traditional Southern brunch at a true neighborhood staple, this is the place. I only wish I lived closer.

Jacob's is always a good idea! Fresh, buffet style, food by the pound made with love. On a nice…read moreday, we always grab our food and sit in the outdoor seating area. Staff is always pleasant and on the weekends, you can catch a live band playing reggae and Afro beats music for customers.

Confession: I have scoffed at those who only prefer places within 800 feet of their front door, but…read moreI have been guilty of geographic laziness in shifting some of my business to another buffet because of its proximity to the D train. (And the other place is great too I just need to mix it up more). I was overdue for a classic combo of fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens and sweet tea. And yet I wanted to diversify, so I got a small amount of goat curry, which had a great sauce. I was coveting the lima beans and jerk chicken. If you know how much I eat, you know I handle eight or nine items. But if you know my food photography, you're aware that picture quality diminishes once you exceed four things on a plate (of course you can go one level beyond that if they're mostly reds and greens, see Pico De Gallo Waiver, Volune 2).

As a Marcus Samuelsson fan, I was very excited to dine at Red Rooster Harlem. I was the first to…read morearrive in my party which I must brag about because that never happens, but of course I arrived early for this special occasion. I promptly sat myself at the bar and took in the beautiful ambience that Red Rooster Harlem has to offer. After drooling over the menu, I ordered a Pom-o Paradise which I later found out is a pomegranate margarita on tap topped with Prosecco. This drink is ordered up to 500 times a day and rightfully so!! It was light and delicious. For dinner, I ordered the sweet potato and coconut soup. It was flavorful and memorable. I crave it as I write this review. I then had the jerk salmon bowl. As a Jamaican, I was skeptical, however I had faith in God and the chef lol. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I saw that the small, roasted tomatoes were left whole, however, cutting into them as they elegantly burst into an additional sauce was an experience I didn't know I needed. The jerk rub was spot on and made me want to whip out my flag, but I surprisingly left it at home. I say all this to say, I had an amazing experience and can't wait to come back and try their highly recommended chicken & waffles, shrimp & grits, mac and greens, and more. Until next time, Red Rooster Harlem!

Saturday, 9th May 2026 Harlem, NYC…read more Rainy day 60s We were here for a Pre-Mother's Day Reggae brunch and to hear the music of the fabulous BROOKLYNERS Reggae band. It was wonderful to see customers get up to dance! Red Rooster's brunch menu had much to enjoy and we tried as many items on the menu as we three could. Of course we required 'doggie bags' to take home leftovers. - For Brunch we indulged on their: - Deviled Eggs, Cornbread, Fried Chicken on waffle, Red Velvet pancake with eggs and maple bacon, and Double Smashed Cheeseburger with Fries. Yes, we will have to work off the calories tomorrow, but so worth it! Good list of wines, beers, cocktails and various libations. Friendly staff and servers, although often moving at a slow pace. However, each were very friendly, warm and helpful with inquiries. Irie!

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.

their food was bad the Mac and cheese no flavor the oxtail cheap with this and no Gravey it's not…read morethe soul food mean i usally get very very disappointed

Great, fresh food. Fast service & great customer service. I've been frequenting this establishment…read moresince their original location on 8th avenue Btwn 150th & 151st street.

The food was subpar--and I'm actually being generous saying that. My roommate and I flew 3,000…read moremiles specifically to try this chicken, and the experience was disappointing from start to finish. The cornbread was dry, the mac and cheese was mushy and lacked flavor, and the collard greens had far too many bitter stem pieces. Charles, I'm sorry to say that this meal did not come close to what I would consider Harlem's finest soul food. The chicken pieces were extremely small, not freshly made, and definitely didn't deliver the pan‑fried experience we were hoping for. To make matters worse, we were given the wrong pieces of chicken altogether. Lastly, the customer service was far from welcoming. Overall, this was not the experience we traveled so far for.

10/10 traditional Nigerian spot right in Harlem. Super affordable, and a great intro if you've…read morenever had Nigerian food before. Quick rundown -- you eat with your hands. The fufu is your utensil. You pinch a piece, dip it into a stew, and that's your bite. I didn't get a stew this time so I kind of freestyled it... dipped mine into the jollof rice with that tomato/meat sauce they put on top and grabbed some lamb. Still hit. One thing to know: there's no traditional restroom setup to wash your hands. They'll bring out a bucket of water and liquid soap so you can clean up at the table. It's normal, but if that's not your thing, just bring hand sanitizer and you'll be good.

Food: We ordered jollof rice with chicken stew, egusi spinach with fried fish + fufu, and hibiscus…read moredrink. The portion sizes were large so come in with a big appetite and bigger stomach. The jollof rice was a simple rendition of perfectly seasoned, fluffy rice that packed deep West African spice with every bite. The accompanying red chicken stew was addictively tangy and had enough spice to singe the taste buds. So yummy. The spinach had an unctuous vegetative flavor that paired nicely with the dough-y mellow fufu. The only thing I didn't like was the bits of fish cooked in that still contained bones. Felt like I had to be cautious going through the spinach. The big fried fish pieces were simple and tasty but had a similar but lesser problem. A bit of a first world problem, I know, but it makes the experience just slightly less enjoyable. The hibiscus drink was perfumed with floral sweet and sour. Service: Service was immaculate. The wonderful staff behind the counter asked if it was our first time and had us sampling all the different rices and stews/soups to make sure we liked what we ordered. Ambiance: Very much a hole in the wall in East Harlem with very few tables. Simple but effective. The predominant foot traffic was all the food service drivers coming in and out of the establishment (which there was a healthy flow of).