Krik Krak

If you've never had Haitian food, go here

by davidmoser7

My wife and I were in NYC from out of town, and we chose to go to this Haitian restaurant because my wife herself is Haitian. She's eaten Haitian food her entire life, and me for the eight years we've been married, so I would say we're pretty good judges of the quality of Haitian food.

That said, this place was pretty good. It's a mom-and-pop, neighborhood type place. The menu had a lot of choices, with all kinds of authentic dishes. My wife ordered the lambi, which is a seafood dish, and a passion fruit drink. I ordered some kind of fried goat meat dish. Both of us thought our dishes were good, but not great. The side dishes of rice and beans weren't spicy enough, but the piklis was excellent. Also, my wife's passion fruit drink was to die for.

A great thing about this place- they GAVE us some appetizer meatballs that we didn't order, and GAVE us salads we didn't order. No charge. That was a nice, unexpected surprise.

One negative: It was about 85 degrees outside and it was uncomfortably hot and humid INSIDE the restaurant. The A/C was not on. After about a half hour of fanning myself with a menu, the owner (I assume) came over and turned on the A/C and told us that it was a "special treat" for us. OK, whatever. I guess I understand because it was a mom-and-pop shop that is probably trying to save money, but turning on the A/C on a hot summer day is pretty much common sense. Oh well. One other negatve- the neighborhood isn't the greatest. It wasn't dangerous or anything, but it was kind of run down. Maybe that's just my rich, suburban, out-of-towner perception.

Anyway, if you like Haitian food or if you've never had it and would like to try it, they do a pretty good job of it here and I would recommend it.

• Pros: authentic food
• Cons: no A/C!

Warm, Cozy, Fresh Food, Friendly Service, Cheap Eats, Good Portions, Romantic, Quiet

by danisha_nazario

I was recommended this restaurant by a friend and decided to give it a try being that I had never had Haitian food. I went in and asked Ms. Maude a million and one questions to which she was more than happy to answer. She even offered me free tastings. Then I left. The next day I returned to sit and have a meal.

The restaurant is VERY small (about 6 tables of duces) but this just adds to the cozy atmosphere.

The service was super friendly, the restaurant was CLEAN.

And in response to those who complained about slow service. Yet service was slow, (I rather describe it as a Caribbean layed back - myself being from the caribbean ) but somehow that was quite alright - knowing that the food was freshly prepared to order and we wouldn't be rushed. You really can taste the difference in food that has just been prepared for you from scratch. I hate going to a restaurant where I feel the waiter is on top of me or I'm being rushed out.

Ms. Maude was the best - patiently and thoroughly answered all questions!

We ordered the akra de malanga.....delish. The beef and crab soup......very comforting! The fillet of sole and the chicken in sizzling sauce.....yummo! And the sweet potato pudding....I really have no idea how I was able to fit it in my tummy!!!! The entree was served with rice, beans, fried plantains, salad and dressing. And the restaurant as of now is BYOB. This place will definitely be on my regular list.

• Pros: Quiet, Cozy, Small, Friendly, FRESH food, Good Portions, Very Reasonable Prices
• Cons: Slow Service in exchange for super fresh food - not sure if that is a con in my book

The best Haitian cuisine in town.

by ginoue

This place was recommended by a friend and i came, i had a wonderful time.The service was great ,the food was delicious and well presented.Mr Thomas and Ms Maude went out of their way to make my evening enjoyable.Perfect for a quiet night with a friend.I would recommend it to anyone.