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23rd St-8th Ave (C, E)
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
23rd Street (PATH)
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I absolutely am in love with Negril Chelsea. These are simply the best wings I've ever had -- period. They're moist and charred. Come in Mango BBQ and Jerk flavors -- mmmm....
Also, ox tail stew, curried goat, jerk chicken, garlic mashed bananas... oh my. Where have you been all my life, Negril?? I know this all sounds (and can look) weird, but it tastes sooo good. (Also, try the iced tea and rum punch)
The only thing to warn you is that if you are in a rush for lunch, then just let them know in advance, because they can be a bit slow otherwise.
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Great entrees, but bad sides and soups make it 3 stars.
After going to Jamaica and having a ton of jerk chicken, I felt the need for it again. So found this place with good reviews and made it there on a recent Saturday night.
Nice place, got there without a reservation at 8pm and only had a 15-minute wait; for more than two people, definitely make a reservation. Not the most romantic place, it has 4 televisions including an old tube that's completely burnt out.
But we came for the food, that's what matters. The Jerk chicken and the jerk salmon were good, but the three sides we ended up getting (rice&beans, food{boiled banana, yam, dumpling}, and island polenta) all sucked. Tasteless, undercooked, or just bad, they sucked. The vegetable soup was bad too - these two negatives are the reason for 3 stars.
I do suggest the plantains, they were good, but the bad sides and the weak soup were the big negatives which would make me not suggest it. The jerk chicken was solid, but maybe only 20% better than that what I got for $5 while in Jamaica. I think I'll try making it on my own next time instead of coming here.
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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I loved the most of the food at Negril; will recommend it to friend and will be back but there are a few area's that prevent me from giving it 4 stars.
Go and get the wings if you have to get one item. I had both the samplers and loved the codfish friters, the escoveitch fish, the collard green spring rolls, the curried goat, the jerk chicken and of course the wings!
I have issues with the sides which taste like they're frozen or canned and reheated (if I considered the polenta a slab of partial board, the Food was a concrete block).
Know before you go that they have a forced tip policy: parties of 1-3 must pay 15%, 4-5 is 18% and 6+ is 20%. Despite this, the service was very friendly and accommodating so we would have tipped 20% with the check anyway. Also, know that the menu is slightly different here than in the Village and I prefer the food here better.
Get here on the weekends for some reggae and wings!
I went here once on a date. My food was ok, nothing to write home to mom about. It might have been what I order, so I wouldnt completly write the place off. The atmosphere was nice, good for a date.
If I had gone here by myself, and only experienced the food and service I received, this would be a 4 star review. The chicken curry roti was delicious with enough food for lunch today (yay!) and the server was so nice and helpful with our myriad of questions about different things on the menu.
However Negril loses one star for the drinks which, according to my friends, were very MEH (and overpriced for what they were). They also lose points for automatically including gratuity, for any size party. I would have given our server a nice tip regardless, but it irks me to see it included without being notified that it would be - mostly because then it's so easy to accidentally tip twice.
Everyone else in my party enjoyed their food enough (fish, oxtail stew, 'grandma's chicken'), but were not wowed by it. I would definitely go back for the roti though... now, off to eat the leftovers for lunch!
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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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I was very impressed with the food here! I'm not sure how much everything was however, since a friend was paying.
He had recently been to Jamaica and experienced some of the food there. He asked for a special type of fish that was not on the menu, and they made it for him special. It was AMAZING. It was a whole fish, and he didn't eat all of it.
For some reason, we all got soup as well, which I thought was curious, but it was delicious.
The service was also great. My friends kept flirting with the waitress, and talking to her too long, but she was polite and accomodating.
I can't remember what "spring rolls" we had or something like that, an appetizer? Don't recall what it was, but they were good as well. We ordered another round for the table.
The dish that I ordered was a vegetarian stew of some sort. I just remember feeling like I ate an enormous amount of food when I left, and said that I wanted to come back for my birthday. I never have been back, but it's kind of out of the way for me.
Atmosphere was nice as well, cozy, and not too pretentious. Very good experience.
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It was alright. Dropped in and had the curry chicken-not bad...the passion fruit tea was great. Worth checking out if you like spicy food.
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.
People thought this was:
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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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 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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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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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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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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The good news is that the food at the Chelsea location is par excellent. The bad news is that this location is closing effective May 31st. The other good news is that the location in the Village will remain open and will offer discounts to former Chelsea customers. Drinks are wonderful. I am a huge fan of their Caprianas at both locations. Barkeeps are not cheap on the the liquor. Drinks will run you about $10 a piece. I went for my birthday the other day and everything we ordered was flavorful, tasty, and just plain delicious. Here is a tip, order your water BEFORE your food arrives. Trust me on this one. I grew up eating spicy food and those spices were doing me in. We ordered the sampler and the taster ($23-25). Both were excellent and gave you a selection of jerk chicken, fish, shrimp, and more. The taster had curry goat that was fall apart tender, well seasoned chicken that was also fork tender, and oxtails (the portions were a bit skimpy here). The tab was close to $100 for two people (total of 3 cocktails #$10 a piece) as they included the gratuity in the bill. A bit pricey for Caribbean food but I can't say that we weren't full or satisfied. I was even able to take a 'kitty' bag home (don't have a dog) and eat the rest of it the next day for lunch. Can I recommend any one thing? No! It was all hella' good (my Cali folks know what I am talking about). Want good Caribbean food? Go to Negril. Hoping the quality we had at Chelsea isn't compromised with the changes. The Village location is bigger and better appointed. They also have delicious Yucca fries there. Yum!
People thought this was:
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.
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This past Saturday I had the opportunity to dine at Negril Chelsea with two great friends. I have past by this restaurant a thousand times and did not know it was Negril's. Upon entering we were greeted by a friendly hostess with a smile and a DJ who was spinning reggae- which helped to make the dining experience excellent. The mojito (sp?) was on point and the oxtails were just right. I highly recommend this place - whether a date or dinner with friends. Will be returning soon.
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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 us. 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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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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I love Jamaican food and though it was good, I wanted Negril to be better than it was. I had the whole red snapper escoveitch, which is pan fried and topped with pickled vegetables/peppers. The fish itself was cooked properly but the carrots, onions and pepper toppings were too raw and the whole dish needed more vinegar. The rice and peas was dry and lacked the coconut/thyme flavor typical of this dish. The "food" (boiled banana, yam and dumpling) side order was properly prepared, tender but not over cooked and the Festival fried dumplings were perfectly crisp, sweet and salty at the same time. My wife liked the Corn and Avocado salad with grilled jerk shrimp. We sat right next to the front door, which was too cramped and next to a blazing space heater. The service was very good and our waiter quite friendly. Because of this, I didn't resent the fixed gratuity they charge, but am against this practice in general, except for large groups.
People thought this was:
Nergril serves up some of the best Jamaican food around. The jerk chicken was spicy and tender, the mac and cheese did it for me tho. Something about carbs and fats made with some island love gets me everytime.
One thing, don't eat at the bar.
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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 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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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.
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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