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125th St (2, 3)
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I went here for the first time tonight. Here is an overview:
Decor/ ambiance: I liked it! Simple, tasteful, pics of celebrity visitors on the wall.
Service: Friendly waiter, pretty attentive. Very attentive busser bringing water, etc.
Drinks: My "Devil with a blue dress" was pretty good- but strong (a plus for me :) Not super delicious but the strength helped.
Food: I had the fried chicken and simply loved it! It was so good- hot, great seasoning- strongly reminded me of the best fried chicken I had growing up. The potato salad was also delicious- much better than average. The mac and cheese was excellent as well, although people need to realize that this type of non-creamy mac and cheese is normal.
Bonus: Sylvia herself was there. Nice lady and I love it when the owner is present. :)
Visit here! Soon!
Nasty, nasty, nasty. I guess it doesn't help that I don't eat meat, but the two times I've come here, my friends were not impressed. The service is horrible, the decor is scary and they are blasting gospel music from huge speakers everywhere. The bathroom is dirty...sigh, I could go on and on.
The place is definitely still in business because of tourists who don't know any better.
AND it's mandatory that everyone seated order an entree ( which averages around $20) RIDICULOUS!!! AND they add on gratuity, no matter what!!!!!!!!!
Never, never, never going back, I don't care how many people ask me.
I'm sorry Sylvia. I wanted to love you. I really did. There is nothing better than Southern USA cooking and I heard so much about you.
Unfortunately, the meal you prepared for me was not even sub-par but sub-sub-par. You made me classic fried chicken, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese. Why was your fried chicken so average? Why were the collard greens covered in salt? Why was the mac and cheese bland and just like all the other mac and cheese I had out there?
I guess we were not meant to be.
I have to agree with Joey P. below. I also wanted to love Sylvia's. In the end I was underimpressed with the restaurant.
The wall is covered with photos of every person she's ever met in her life. Funny to see a photo of Mayor Giuliani up there (a testament to the fact that Sylvia's is a mandatory stop for any NY politician).
The service is what you'd expect from a crowded tourist joint. Adequate, but not personal like you'd expect in a soul food restaurant.
The food is average. No one was unhappy after the meal, but Sylvia's just didn't live up to the hype.
Meanwhile I'll continue to buy Sylvia's product line at the supermarket. Her canned black eye peas are the best.
Chicken was okay
Don't eater the chitterlings !!
Waffles were okay
Not worth the drive and the risk of seeing so many African american brothers.
Peace out!! Dont go for the food, go to try.
Im convinced the ONLY reason this place is still in business after masquerading as an authentic soul food joint is because of the inexperienced tourists who frequent it in droves. The service isnt great either.
Enough said.
Sadly, I'd have to agree with those who have deemed Sylvia's overrated. After passing it numerous times over the past year while visiting nearby friends, I finally got to eat here where three of my friends chose it to host their collective birthday party. Unfortunately, Sylvia's failed to live up my expectations. While no one was terribly unhappy with the meal, no one seemed to especially enjoy it, either. I can sum up the dining experience in two words: uninspired and greasy. The fried chicken is halfway decent, but those neon colored ribs are a total atrocity and the mac and cheese is a congealed mess.
To be sure, it was all edible, but it tasted totally generic and formulaic, like great cooking that has been simplified for mass production. I may be a white girl, but I used to work at a preschool in a Baptist church on Fordham Rd, and we used to host parties for the kids and their families and everyone would contribute food. I know what it tastes like when a black grandma serves up real southern cookin'. This? Ain't it.
Additionally, the whole place felt very corporate and branded, with a lack of down home charm. For what you get, you may as well go to a chain like Dallas BBQ. I like Dallas for what it is, but a place that's supposed to have so much history ought to be much, much better. Sylvia's may once have been a great and truly authentic example of soulful Harlem cooking, but it now seems little more to a tourist trap and shrine to the glories of years gone by.
Great ambiance, great service, but horrible food. This is now a tourist destination. It's not the same Sylvia's. Take your woman to Amy Ruth's. Now that's real soul food.
Where do I begin?
From the uninspired collards to the mediocre fried chicken, this place is a mess.
When it first opened, Sylvia's was the place to go for true soul food.
At that time, they actually cared.
Now, because of the hype, the homecooked goodness has been replaced by the mania to service tourists and folks who just don't know any better.
If I was visiting from some other nation where the cuisine was worse, I still think I would prefer to eat at McDonald's.
There are better soul food places in the area.
I took my family to Manna's, which I believe is run by Asians.
Go figure.
Do NOT GO TO SYLVIA'S--unless you have no tastebuds or expectations.
Don't even get me started on the state of the restroom.
CBGB'S in its heyday was about on par.
Yeah, get a tetanus.
I'll be brief.... Sylvia's collard greens are best when you buy them from the can at your local grocery store!!!!! I've been here a few times, each time hoping it would be better than the last.
The truth is, Sylia's has HORRIBLE food. On top of that, I wasn't crazy about the way it looks inside or the seating. If you want soul food, go to Amy Ruth's or Copeland's. (I'm not even sure if Copeland's is still around) Both are less known and put more care into pleasing their customers.
My mom was in town and I wanted to bring her somewhere fun for brunch. I had heard Sylvia's had a gospel brunch and having never been there myself figured we'd give it a shot.
I had been warned that the place was a tourist trap and therefore the food was overpriced garbage. But I like to make my own judgements, because let's face it, if it were that bad, the tourists would stop going there by the busloads.
So my mom and I set off for brunch around 11:30. We got there, waited all of 5 minutes to be seated and then our server came and took our drink orders. We both ended up getting the fried chicken and waffles (when in Harlem, ya know?) and we split a side of mac and cheese. The food was pretty good, nothing to rave about, but much better than expected from others opinions of the place.
My main issue was the actual gospel part of the brunch. They have a live gospel group come and sing and the music is pumped through the restaurant by giant speakers, and wouldn't you know my mother and I had the luck of sitting under one of these speakers. Once the music started we could barely hear each other speak. Thankfully after asking our server if the volume could be adjusted it was turned down a little, but it was still a bit too loud for my taste.
There was quite a mix of people there. A great deal of tourists but also what seemed to be a good amount of locals too. All in all it was a fun experience but am not sure I'd be back for the gospel brunch.
Overrated. With its history and the long list of celebrity patrons, I walked through the doors with a lot of expectations, perhaps a bit unfair. Either way, I left unimpressed. The decor was charming and the service was decent. Our waitress seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, but was still friendly. But lets get on to the FOOD. I ordered the fried chicken with collar greens and black eyed peas, and my girlfriend ordered the fried chicken and ribs with the garlic mash and mac and cheese.
The chicken was very underwhelming and bland, and the only positive thing i can say was that the skin was very crisp without layers of batter. The ribs reminded me of mass produced cafeteria type food. The only thing that saves this place from getting less stars was the sides. The sides were all good. Not spectacular but noteworthy.
Two entrees only and it came out to be $50?? Definitely not impressed!
I would not recommend for anyone to go out of their way for this place.
Definitely Overrated.
The restaurant had a comfortable homey type environment and the service was good. However...
The FOOD is super sub par. I cannot believe how people rave about this restaurant. I understand Sylvia's has history, but this is not good soul food. I was really disappointed. It just goes to show that everybody has a different perception on what they consider to be good soul/southern food. Got a secret for you folks. This ain't it!
I would not recommend this place, but if you must check it off your list of "things to do" and "places to try" in NYC be my guest.
Yes, the fried chicken was exceptional, but that was it. Maybe we visited on the wrong day or the waitress wasn't having a good day but the service sucked. And it felt it was overrated. I hated my potato salad, it had too much sugar and was very sweet. The greens felt like they were mass produced. I wasn't impressed not one bit. After hearing about Sylvia's I was like 'is this it". I wil return one more time to see if maybe I order other things.. maybe it will be better. I think it's more like a tourist trap than anything. I 'll see if I have in my heart to visit during the jazz or gospel brunch for better results? Will post my thoughts when that happens. But i guess you can visit for your own taste of the 'south"
P.S. I'm a southern child; my dad is from mississippi and my mom is from louisiana. i come from a long line of cookers. i love authentic foods than mass produced. thats why i was highly disappointed about the greens and the potato salad. There are other better places to dine in Harlem, just look around and you'll find em!
While I've had better main courses at other soul food restaurants, the side dishes at Sylvia's can't be beat. The mashed potatoes are dangerous and the peach cobbler is killer.
I will preface with the fact that I grew up in the South, and I appreciated the authentic surroundings and Southern-esque service from the second one walks through the door.
On the food, the biscuits were uniquely good. Most places in New York try to make bread artistic. You know it is about the taste and texture. Second, the chicken and most sides are just impeccable. One thing that is lacking is in their ribs, which are too fatty and underseasoned.
On the prices, because of the great service and very good food, this restaurant gets 4 stars. This is probably a good restaurant to go to when you are hungry and on a budget. That said, everyone should try Sylvia's because north of the Mason-Dixon line, very few restaurants compare.
My p's were in town a couple of weeks ago, and said they had to hit Sylvia's while they were here, so we went, high expectations in tow. I think we all had fried and smothered chicken. Chicken was tasty, not adventurous in spice, but pretty dang good-very moist. Greens were good-not as salty as I thought they would be after reading some of the reviews. The macaroni and cheese was very good. I think there's this misconception that mac and cheese has to be this creamy sort of thing, and that's not necessarily true. In fact, I like it when it's kinda thick and you stick it with a fork and it stays on the fork and the cheese is melted and a little crusty on the top. That, to me, is good mac and cheese. Which this was. Wasn't as good as my sister's, but hers is kinda untouchable. Only thing I wasn't too hot on was the peach cobbler. The crust was more of a breaded sort of crust, and I like mine more pie like. Maybe it's a NY thing. The rest of the meal, though, was pretty good. A lot of people say it's overrated, but I think it's a good meal.
I've experienced better. Food was tasteless and all I felt was oil in my mouth.
The service was not on point and our reservation was not honored and we were asked to move twice.
I'm over Sylvia's. The food is not great and the service painfully slow. Is that supposed to be Southern Charm?
It's difficult for me not to take it personally when I read some of the reviews trash talking… Read more »
Had to come out here and see what all the hype was about. It was definitely yummmmmmmmo!
My friends and I had a mixture of things, fried chicken, baked chicken, ribs, pork chops, and steak. I have to say, my favorite was the fried chicken! My fellow Angelenos are gonna hate me for saying this, but the fried chicken was better than Roscoe's! (Uh oh, here comes the hate-mail) The greens were perfect and the mac-n-cheese was yum! The ribs were not all that though.
I think I'd come back for more, but I'm also hearing that there's another soul spot not too far from there that I wanna try too.
I ate here this week when I went to Harlem on my way to see the Yankees. Anyway, the restaurant is easy to get to - just get off of at the 125th Street Station and you're damn near there!
I've always heard about Sylvia's, but I don't know why. The greeter at the door was a very nice and cheerful fellow who was very welcoming. Our waitress was nice, but you could tell she's done this before probably a million times and she sounded like a robot. But she got us our food.
And speaking of food, I had fried chicken, collard greens and macaroni and cheese.
The Mac and cheese was only warm. Nothing special at all. In fact, Stouffer's frozen Mac and Cheese is better!
The collard greens kicked some ass, though.
But the fried chicken was not very good. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good. I've had better and worse. I've had better at fast food restaurants.
If you are in Harlem, you could do worse than eat here. It just won't knock your socks off. I think it's become too commercialized and the place is living off it's reputation - and that reputation is in danger.
We did meet one very nice lady as we were leaving - she's from Berkeley and has been working at Sylvia's for a few months. She was very nice and hopefully Sylvia will keep her around!
With all the hype I've heard about this place, I definitely expected my soul food to be a little more soulful.
We went on a Sunday night (warning: only a limited menu available on Sundays). The service was fantastic, and the corn bread was to die for!
Seriously, it was the best corn bread I've had in my life. But it was all downhill from there. Not that the food was bad, it just wasn't great.
I had the pork chops and there was nothing extraordinary about them. The mashed potatoes and mac and cheese were better. My boyfriend said the same about the fried chicken- it was good, but he's had a lot better.
The red velvet cake is a must for dessert.
My roommate and I got out of class early and had some time to eat at a nicer restaurant, so we decided to make a stop at Sylvia's since it had somewhat of a big reputation for being a great place for Southern "soul food." It didn't seem that crowded at lunch, but it did seem a bit understaffed. Our waiter appeared to be serving two whole rooms by himself, which in turn affected our service. He was never around when we needed him, since he kept getting called away by the other tables, and not once did he stop by after he had taken our orders to check if we needed water refills or if the food was all right.
The food was decent, although I can't say much since this is probably only the second time that I've had southern food. The collard greens were very flavorful, but the fried chicken was quite bland. I had to douse it with lots of the "XXX HOT" (which really wasn't as spicy as it claimed) sauce just to give it a little character. The corn bread was delicious, and so were the waffles, but then again, messing up waffles would be pretty difficult. (Also, they had a distinction between California waffles and Harlem waffles. I, a California native, was not aware that there was a difference.) The price wasn't too bad -- especially if you go for the lunch specials. It might be worth coming back again if I want a slightly upgraded lunch -- maybe then I'll discover what a "California waffle" tastes like.
went to Sylvia's the day before Valentine's day and had a great time. My entire party was quite pleased with their entrees. My boyfriend and I had the Catfish and Mac n cheese and my friends had the Chicken and Waffles and the Wing appetizer. The catfish and mac n cheese was so delicious...and was a nice portion. The wings did not seem to be a big hit. The lemonade tasted homemade and was so flavorful. Might have been the best lemonade I ever had.
We even were thanked by Sylvia, who was eating dinner the time we went, for coming as we left. Will be eating there everytime we go to New York for now on.
This place does a few things extremely well. 1) Fried Chicken 2) Collard Greens 3) Potato Salad 4) Red Velvet Cake and 5) Chocolate cake.
The fried chicken is perfectly fried, perfectly juicy. If you go on the weekend, it shows up on the brunch menu along side 2 eggs your way and grits, So delicious and such a good deal! I like to douse the fried chicken in lots of Syvia's Triple Strength hot sauce, which I don't find even as hot as Tabasco.
The collard greens are perfectly salty and smoky even though there are no bits of ham. I've read some reviews before about the collard greens being too salty, but I don't think so. The potato salad is slightly sweet, with chopped pickle in it. Very good and a nice portion for the side.
Now onto the dessert. Make sure to save room for dessert if it's possible. The red velvet is dense, almost like a poundcake. If you get it to go, they wrap it in a piece of parchment paper and then put it in a brown paper bag. When you get home to unwrap it, the whole thing will be soaked in oil, it is so bad for you. But hells bells, does it taste good! It is SO moist. The frosting is SO rich. Make sure you go with a big group so you can share. I tried to get the recipe out of the staff there but they will not tell. I think they use full fat buttermilk...or maybe they use mayonaise or something. It is a very rich red and one slice is enormous. It is worth the 2 hours in the gym.
But wait, there's more. Just when you think the red velvet is the be all end all, you end up getting the chocolate cake for shits and giggles. And omg, it is ridiculous. Non-chocolate cake lovers will be converted once they have this chocolate cake. And I don't even love chocolate cake all that much. It has a rich, moist, deeply flavorful crumb. The ganache frosting is not too sweet and the whole thing has a delectable chocolate flavor. This one is worth the 4 hours in the gym.
Yes, it's quite a trek to Sylvia's but a straight shot on the m101 or m102 along the east side. And after the lovely Gospel brunch (it's fun and entertaining - you'll see lots of European tourists) , you can go across the street to the Marshalls and shop.
They don't take reservations for groups under 6 and they won't seat you unless your entire party is there. On the weekends, get there at 11:30am for a short wait. The hot sauce goes for $1.50 a bottle - quite the steal!
Uninspired tourist trap since at least 2000. The execution of everything from the collard greens to the fried chicken is off and the service is unenthused.
oh HELL No...
I know, who starts a review like that? Why?
One star reviews? Are you joking? You should go to Sylvia's. You should eat there. The food is decent. There is music and entertainment on some days. People are working. People have jobs because you eat this food. Want to know something else? I have sat through many dinners where the Woods family has given out scholarships to ensure that young people (and not just young black people) are able to further their educations. If you think the Chicken and Waffles are better at the other named places, you are a fool. I have been to them all and when I eat my chicken at Sylvias, I taste history, I taste good music, I taste a good time and I taste young men and women getting their educations with a less burden. Some good things came from South Carolina...like my granny, my father and the Woods family. Harlem was built by these people.
So say what you will. I like those other places too. Support them. Support Sylvia's as well. Fact is, what Langston did with words was done by Ms. Woods. Except of course, she used Paprika!
A Harlem institution, I have been waiting for years to try Sylvia's and it was worth the wait. Old school dining room with celeb photos around the charming room. This is one of the Harlem USA power lunch spot. Lots of suits in the room. Friendly service, but lets talk about the food.
Hmm hmm good- corn bread and Sylvia's famous hot sauce is a lethal combo. I ordered the lunch special($8.62) of a fried chicken leg and two sides- mac and cheese and collards with smoked turkey.
A huge leg arrived freshly fried and the plate was bangin'. Crispy flavorfull skin, smoky collards and tasty mac and cheese. All the food tasted cooked to order and was lip smacking food.
SOUL FOOD IN HARLEM??? HOT DAMN!!!!
This place is the sh**. The interior is very unassuming. With the exception of all the photos of famous people on the walls. My girlfriend and I both ordered the fried chicken (how can you come here and NOT order this?). It's my once in a huge while treat of fried chicken. I also got the mashed potatos and candied yams...delicious yams!!!! We left stuffed to the gills. The wait staff was very friendly!! We even had star sightings while enjoying our meal.
This is a fun restaurant. The people are great, the food is enjoyable, and it's an overall great restaurant in Harlem. For soul food cravings, I will definitely be coming back!
The service was great, waitstaff friendly and polite. The interior well kept and the price was right. The macaroni and cheese and collared greens were fantastic. Even the cornbread was a delight. There was something, however, that was a little off.
I was really looking forward to a nice plate of ribs, but I think these ribs were cooked a little too long. The first few bites were great, but then I took a fourth bite and the bone came crumbling into my mouth. The ribs were cooked so long, the bone had become soft and spongy. I couldn't tell were the meat met the bone! Instead of the meat falling off the bone, everything just kind of fell apart.
Well, so much for ribs. I did have a few bites of my friend's smothered pork chops, and I will say that was the best pork chop I've ever tasted. Those pork chops are so tender it literally melts in your mouth. I know a lot of people use that cliche for a lot of different things, but pork chop usually isn't one of them. Pork so delicate, and the gravy rich without being overwhelming. It was really a treat.
I'm pretty sure this can be one of those cases when a restaurant like Sylvia's just had an off night. But given a) that I'm not in the area that often, and b) there are quite a few other soul food joints in the neighborhood, it's gonna be quite a while before I give Sylvia's a second shot at impressing me.
I think this was my first time to put my foot in Harlem. I was taken here by my Harlem native friend.
I thought this place was somewhat gimmicky as I've seen many celebrities visiting this place on TV - i.e. Bill O'Reilly and Larry Wilmore of The Daily Show.
I found that decor was very homey and welcoming. Staffs? Polite-meter's needle definitely leans far towards "Super Polite". They are attentive and prompt on refill. Although they frequently asked "Are you guys doing OK?", strangely I never found that irritating.(I usually feel "Fuck off")
Cornbread were very nice. I am kinda picky because I ate a lot of them when I lived in North Carolina. Its sweetness is not overwhelming so that I could eat 5 of them easily without hitting my sugar threshold. I like those "hint" of sweetness rather than "in-ya-faaace!!" sweetness.
This goes to their Ice tea as well. Although It wasn't a "hint" of sugar but it wasn't that overwhelming either. I think I had 4 glasses of it. It was that good.
I ordered sides of Mac & Cheese and Garlic mashed potato. M&C was little greasy, but garlic mashed potato? I never knew that garlic and mashed potato would make such a perfect union. It was gorgeous.
Then main event of the night - BBQ short rib. My friend(Harlem native) was disappointed with their new portion control that made it smaller, but it was still plenty to me. The sauce they basted was gorgeous. I now regret that I didn't buy their BBQ sauce. Meat was nice and juicy inside.
So overall, this place was very genuine and didn't feel that it was gimmicky or tourist trap at all.
Good service, good food, I would definitely come back for more.
Solid food - not the best cornbread, ribs, or fried chicken I've had, but certainly not bad and good enough for me to devour my place incredibly quickly.
Frustratingly, I thought just everything was a notch under being perfectly done: the cornbread was sweet - like refined sugary sweet, not delicious corn sweet. The BBQ sauce was a bit too red, like Chinese-spare-rib red, making the ribs slathered in it just a bit off. The fried chicken was excellent when fresh, but our table got a combination of crispy just-out-of-the-fryer chicken and okay, shinily greasy sitting-around-for-a-bit chicken.
Incredibly friendly staff make the place a pleasure to visit, but I don't think I'd make the trek up to Harlem for the food alone.
Sylvia's was just ok.
It took us a long while to get seated, but I can understand that. The place was pretty busy when my friend and I arrived. Our table kind of sucked when we did get seated, though. We got stuck at this tiny little table next to the stairs leading to the restroom. Hmm.
Our server was a nice lady, but she sure did take a long time. I was text-messaging a friend in California while waiting for our food; I had been telling him about our various adventures. He asked if we were done yet, and I told him that the food hadn't even come! We sat forever waiting for the bill, too...I mean, we sat there, doing nothing, just waiting for our server, for a good fifteen minutes after we finished eating.
The food was all right, but nothing special. I had chicken and waffles with collard greens and a sweet potato. The sweet potato was pretty good, the collard greens were less good, and the chicken was totally boring. I've had better chicken from KFC (extra-crispy recipe for the win!).
I must need to make friends with someone who can cook real soul food at home, because I refuse to believe that this is what good soul food tastes like.
Delicious breakfast! Biscuits were crazy good. Places like this make me miss NY. My mother and brother ate here and we loved it. It's a really nice setting and the service was great. Will be going there again!
I just moved to Harlem a few weeks ago and already I've brought three different friends here. If you're looking for a warm atmosphere and incredibly satisfying soul food, you've come to the right place.
I enjoyed my first-ever chicken and waffles here, opting for the smothered all-white chicken. Rule of thumb: Portions are gigantic. I could barely finish half of my chicken and half of the waffle and brought the rest home. They aren't kidding when they say the chicken is SMOTHERED in gravy, but it's absolutely delicious. I joked with a friend that the chickens must be on steroids because even with just white meat, there was so much! It was well cooked although I prefer the skin to be a bit crispier, although its softness could just be because of the gravy heaped on top. I also highly recommend the garlic mashed potatoes, but don't order them if you plan on making out with your significant other later because they are SUPER garlicky.
I have also tried the fried shrimp, which were incredibly fresh and I enjoyed just as much if not more than the chicken. It's a more normal serving size so I didn't wind up bringing half my meal home this time, and if you're just visiting and don't like to waste food, it's a great choice. The shrimp were succulent and well-seasoned under a crispy but perfectly balanced layer of breadcrumbs. I hate when fried shrimp are all breadcrumbs and no shrimp, but this definitely wasn't the case.
I haven't had a chance to sample any of their desserts yet as I always am completely full after the entree. Also, be careful because the cornbread they bring at the beginning of your meal is so divine that you could easily ruin your appetite enjoying it if you don't watch out!
Never eat there! The food was bland and lukewarm and I got food poisoning( a mild case of it but still...)
I will never eat there again!
I was taken here before I moved to New York in the '90s. The food was beyond excellent. I judge soul food by the candied yams and corn bread, and back then, it was to die for. Since moving to NYC, I have heard that the food here isn't as good.
I think it's been about 2 years since I've gone to Sylvia's with friends, but it wasn't bad. The yams weren't memorable, and if I recal, the cornbread just tasted like cake. It's not food that makes me want to venture up to Harlem for, but when I am in Harlem, I tend to gravitate to it based on fond memories from the '90s. Plus, I want to support black business :)
Food is good, but way over-hyped. Tons of tourists in there. Fried chicken was not bad. Ribs were ok. Good food, but not great.
My follow-up experience with soul food, after eating Amy Ruth's a week ago, brought me back to Harlem for Sylvia's. I vowed not to eat the unhealthy, yet incredible grub for a few weeks, but justified my trip back after getting in a few solid workouts this week.
Sylvia's is a much nicer venue for consumption; a larger space with cozier appeal. The staff and service was top-notch. I was amazed at how attentive this group was.
As for the food-- I couldn't turn down the rib/fried chicken combo after hearing so much about both. The plate came with 2 sides and cornbread as well. I chose the mac & cheese and candied yams. The fried chicken had a seasoned, crunchy skin that I enjoyed. The meat was juicy and tender. The ribs, covered in a sweet/onion bbq sauce, were ok. I really wasn't a fan of the sauce and they lacked meat. Mac & cheese was above average, yet lacked any wow factor. Best part of the plate was probably the candied yams, which are a vice of mine to begin with.
After eating Amy Ruth's, I have to say Sylvia's comes in a close second. Amy Ruth's has slightly better eats, was priced better and seemed to be much more focused on the food than everything else. Regardless, Sylvia's will serve you a meal you'll have a hard time complaining about.
I went to a conference in Harlem and I was jonesing for some Soul Food. Every time I visit Harlem I want some ethnic food! I had heard about Sylvia's and decided to check it out. The place seemed very historical having plenty of pictures from years past.
I had the fish of the day meal option and chose the whiting. As my sides I had the candied yams and their mashed potatoes. The whiting was ok although it was fishier than I'd like. That was rectified by using a good amount of lemon and hot sauce. My girlfriend had their barbecued salmon. Her dish was amazing as the salmon melted in your mouth.
The Good
1. The sides were amazing.
2. Unlimited corn cake (YUMMY!)
3. Free drink refills (sorry non-alcoholic)
4. Great history hanging on the walls
5. The prices were reasonable considering the portion sizes and refills
The Bad
1. The waiter took forever to get to us once we were given a table but once he got to us he was very friendly.
2. It was late at night round about midnight but they were playing hip hop and at times very loudly. I take it that the manager had gone home otherwise I'd hope that wouldn't fly.
Neighborhood: Harlem
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: Harlem
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: Harlem
Category: Soul Food
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Harlem
Category: Southern
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