Negril Chelsea
362 W. 23rd Street
Between 8th & 9th Avenue
(between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
New York, NY 10011 (212) 807-6411
- Nearest Transit:
23rd St-8th Ave (C, E)
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
23rd Street (PATH)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
20 Reviews for Negril Chelsea
This place serves up the greatest coconut margaritas you will ever dream of! I came in with a friend, while in the city on business and was delighted to find a place that not only had spectacular food, but wonderful drinks as well. We don't get much of this out in Seattle, but my friend knew what she was talking about when she directed us here. After dinner, we made our way downstairs and enjoyed a night of dancing to GREAT new music. I will come back each and every time I'm in town.
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One type of food that we are straight up missing in SF is wonderful Jamaican/Caribbean food. It is very saddening.
I went to Negril Chelsea a few years back while visiting NYC. My friend, who is Haitian and was born and raised in Queens, suggested we go to this Jamaican restaurant. We made it a girls night and ditched the whiny dudes to have a nice, relaxing meal without them bitching about how broke they were.
Wow was all I thought while eating this magnificent food. I can't remember exactly everything we tried, but a few things stick out in my mind. The collard green wontons, plaintains, jamaican jerk chicken, salmon, prawn combo and the lovely amazing desserts that we tried which included a jamaican coffee creme brule and bread pudding served with rum raisin ice cream. The bread pudding was one of the most tongue tantilizing desserts I have ever had touch my mouth. I don't even really like bread pudding, but this bread pudding exceeded all expectations and the rum raisin ice cream pairing was to die for.
I don't know when exactly I will be back in NYC, but I will be eating here at least a few times during my stay to get my fix of some food that Shaggy might refer to as "Boombastic" grub. I can't get my grubby little hands on this boombatic stuff here on the West Coast.
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When it comes to West Indian/Caribbean food, I am a very tough critic. Ya see my mommy is Bajan (she's from Barbados...) and my pops is from Jamaica... so having spent lots of time on both islands I get real offended when Americans try to slap curry or jerk seasoning on something and call it Caribbean food! With that said, my BFF recommended I get the sampler platter I was oh so very happy. The platter was full of all of my favorites, jerk chicken, plantains, fish, fritters, coconut shrimp & bami. The food was authentic, rich and very reasonable. Take it from me, this is the real deal folks! Enjoy and as they say in Jamaica... eat till yu belly full!
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My husband and I were on an extended vacation in New York a couple of years ago. We ended up subletting an apartment around the corner from this place so it became a regular hangout for me and my husband. Everything on their menu is pretty good especially their jerk salmon and macaroni & cheese. I also love the Mango BBQ wings. The staff is pretty nice as well. I can't wait 'til I visit again.
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if only the place didn't blast the same soundtrack every hour...
clientele is great and atmosphere is positive, borderline sceney. but its genuine, delicious caribbean food, down to the boiled bananas. not a lot of vegetarian options but the ones they have are downright tasty. as far as i could tell the shrimp was fresh and their options for mixed cocktails were unreal. loved the fruit punch.
Negril Negril Negril. I love this happening place. I think it is combination of the ambiance, food and great people that works me here.
I have to comment on the food.
I rarely order an appetizer here because they give you this soup with every entree ordered. I believe the soup is corn chowder-not sure. I can tell you this that if this was on the menu it would be one of the most selected items. The first time this soup reached my lips and went in my mouth, I though to myself....Hmmmm...this stuff must have been served in Heaven for Lunch cause it is flippin Wonderful. I almost stood up and danced all up and down Negril and shouted Hallelujah just to be alive to experience this soup. You see if one were home one would be licking the dish until every trace of this stuff is gone...Oh yes you would. Ok enough about the soup Jolly..move on.
I have tried some appetizers here and the escovitch fish stands out. This should have a warning on the menu addressing the heat level of this appi and that it is not for the faint harted.LOL. It arrived platted very nicely and while talking I was eating and enjoying until I noticed that my mouth was heating up a bit and the bit turned into intense heat. For those of you who Love spicy foods..this is the stuff for You..Order nothing else.
The Oxtails with the Lima Bean Gravy is just amazing. BTW the gravy taste better than the image that might come to your mind when Lima Beans are mentioned. I do not even like Lima Beans but lap this stuff up.
Drumroll....Drumroll...Drumroll....Ok what I am about to share with you will change your life. Are you ready..Ok..and I proceed. You cannot come to Negril without trying this....Drum roll again...You have to try the Mango Cheesecake. You just have to OK. The first time I ordered this I believe tears welled up in my eyes. My cousin who was dining with me and had ordered the same thing looked at me and said "It absolutely does not get any better than this." I believe there was a moment of silence. It is a very light cheesecake and not like the traditional solid and sometimes heavy cheesecake. Wow a gastronomic experience this is. Sometimes the Wait Staff forget to offer the dessert option to you in Negril so you have to make sure you ask for the Mango Cheesecake. Negril is worth going to just for this, I tell you no lie.
I can't wait for my next visit to this place to try other dishes.
This chain has fantastic authentic Jamaican fare at reasonable prices. All the curry and jerk meats you would expect are here. They opened another one by NYU but I hear that one doesn't have my highly coveted mango wings!
Decor: carribean, loud
Must get: great mango wings, pina coladas, banana coladas.
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There were so many enticing and interesting things on the menu, especially since we had never been to an authentic Caribbean restaurant. So I noticed that the combination appetizer platter had a little bit of everything. Great variety of jerk chicken wings, coconut shrimp, collard green roll, plantains, fish, and some other things that I can't remember. All that and a side of rice and peas (which tasted like beans to me), my husband and I waddled out of the place.
Great meal! I'll definitely be going back ASAP!
It helps that I had a ball at the bar with Treach from Naughty by Nature :)
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i make a special trip out to this place when i go back home to NY. They have good delicious food for more than reasonable prices. i highly recommend checking this place out. oh and their bread pudding is to die for!
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I was here over the weekend and stumbled upon this location
It was a hit/miss spot
the best was the ackee and saltfish
Brown stew chicken was fair enough,but nothing to journey out for.
I would have preferred getting the ackee and saltfish as an entree and not as a 13$ starter
for one starter and our two entrees
it came up to 80 bucks a bit steep for what we got
very mixed on the spot
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Unless it's the word "jerk" + edible animal, I wasn't well versed on what constitutes Jamaican cuisine. This being the food of my gf's people, I should know better. Still, for this time around I relied on her to confirm Negril's quality and authenticity.
Verdict? Yes, it's the real deal.
Observations:
-didn't know there were dumplings with no fillers inside
-the less red the punch, the better it tastes (ahem, try Five Alive)
-oxtail is not as scary as it sounds, and twice as tasty
-bammie isn't as cool as it sounds, counter to oxtail
Overall, I had a good time there. It was low key and friendly. A nice intro to a cuisine I hope to know more intimately.
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One of the benefits of being born in Jamaica is having the good sense to know the difference between a Jamaican Restaurant and a restaurant that has the words Jamaica associated with its name!
Now I kid you know Russ W. was right on when he said the Mac and Cheese is off the hook! Try it, you'll thank yourself later!!!
I am so sad I didn't have the good sense to try the calaloo, its one of my favorite greens from Jamaica. So I behoove you to try it next time you are in town don't make the same mistake I did.
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This is my first time to this location in Chelsea. I usually go to the Negril in the Village but thought I'd give this location a try since it's not too far from my hood.
My SO and I were greeted as soon as we walked in and seated right away w/o a reservation. The decor at this location is very different from the Village Negril. This one isn't as "upscale" and "loungey" like the Village location. It is smaller as well and the furniture isn't as fancy.
Our server greeted us and took our drink and food order promptly. We had the following:
Cod Fritters- bit too greasy and bland; it did come with guacamole and salsa which helped give it some taste.
Jerk Chicken- pretty large portion that was very tasty; the mash Yam (sweet potatoes), was really buttery and tasty.
Jamaican Shrimp- the sauce it came with tasted like curry; shrimps were small and the overall dish was blah
Corn soup- (complimentary) was quite good; coconut curry soup with corn.
Overall, the service was attentive and polite. Our water was re-filled and our server checked in on us.
I have to minus 1-star for the pricey menu given the small portions. There was Jamaican/hiphop music booming in the background along with a TV showing baseball above the bar the entire time. It's fine with me but for the prices they charge, they need to decide what they want to offer. Also, the dishes came out pretty straightforward with no attempt with presentation.
The second minus 1-star is for the mandatory gratuity charge. I dine out a LOT and this is the FIRST time EVER, I've seen a restaurant implement a mandatory gratuity charge for parties of less than 6. IMHO, tips are at the discretion of the patron and should NOT be IMPOSED on the customer.
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If you need your roti fix now and can't wait for Brooklyn, Negril is a good place. There are different kind sof fillings for the roti-shrimp, chciken, goat and vegetables and tofu. I really appreciate the tofu and vegetable because despite tradition, I just don't dig goat. Still, it coudl be a bit more flavorful. Drinks are good here too-especially a caiprinha with sorrel.
The service is slow, but friendly. I also understand that people are bad tippers ( I waitress too), but I think the automatic tip for a table of 2 is a bit tacky.
My only dissapointment is in the decor. It is a bit dated, and makes it feel a bit like we are on a cheap Jamaican getaway or a cruise with lots of sock and sandal wearing people. The Negril in the Village feels a lot younger and hipper.
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Pretty good Jamaican food BUT when the check came I got a little mad. I don't like the tip being added to my check! I'm a pretty good tipper to my servers but when I see that it just makes my blood boil. What did you think we were going to stiff you? This isn't Time Square and I'm not some tourist who doesn't know how to tip! We were a couple and I didn't do anything other then order my food. I would have actually tipped more until I saw that add on so I gave them exactly that just because of the annoyance. That ruined it for me and I'll debate to go back because the food was good but not good enough.
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I have only had delivery from here, which is delightfully quick. I always get the same thing...
Ackee & Saltfish with Bammie
Corn and Avocado Salad
Jerk Spiced Salmon (sometimes KingFish)
The Calaloo is so amazing that I can't even deal! I usually order a couple of sides to keep it for a couple days to wear myself out on it, and take a break. Never really works! And the mac and cheese! OMG!
I can tell ya that they are probably one of the most consistent restos for delivery that I have ever frequented. I sometimes play, "look at me, I cooked" and plate the items for guests, like I made it. And it really never works, because they all know that my kitchen is nothing more than a bar.
I need to get my ass up in there to check it from a table service perspective. More on that one soon!
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I can't rate the service inside the restaurant because I called for delivery but the lady who took my order was very polite. The food was great! I felt like I was in Jamaica.
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I love the Jerked Salmon, Macaroni & Cheese and Mini Beef Patties. Yum! It's usually pretty crowded and you feel a little rushed, but the food is delicious. Negril Village is bigger and the decor is hipper, but I love the coziness of the 23rd Street location. I've been to Negril so many times I lose count; with co-workers, ex-boyfriend, friends and family. I really like this place.
Some girlfriends and I stumbled upon this place. The decor is what drew us in along with the Plantains on the menu. Once inside, we would have to wait 20 minutes for a table but we sat at the bar to wait and decided to order drinks and food there. The bartender lady was a bit unattentive probably because the group of guys at the other end of the bar were talking to her and she figured she could wiggle more tip money out of them. Oh, and 90% of the items on the menu included avocado. After finding out they were all out of avocado, we had to go back and re decide what we wanted. The food came out fast but they brought out our entree salads before the appetizer, which was odd. But when the check came the three o us were doing the figuring out of how to split and the bartender was kind enough to offer to reprint with it divided up. Overall the cocktails, food, music and atmosphere was really nice.
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