Amazing Grace — Restaurant in New York

My family and I used to come to this place back when it was called “Krystal’s Cafe”. Now, it’s called Amazing Grace. First off, there were only two other tables that were sat down and already eating when my family and I walked in. So it wasn’t busy. Our table didn’t have utensils set up like the other tables (I get it…they maybe were about to set it up but yeah). The waitress (older lady with glasses and short hair) was taking our order and we asked for drinks - “we would like pineapple juice and calamansi juice”. She stated that they may not have pineapple juice so if she could get us something else. We said “mango juice is fine”. And I ordered a pancit palabok and asked if we could get extra lemon slices with it. The lady said that it already comes with lemon. But that wasn’t what I asked for but okay.

They first brought our drinks out. They brought over pineapple juice and mango juice - when I asked for calamansi juice. Then, we flagged the waitress down and said what was the mistake. She came back again but this time giving me another mango juice. I had to explain that we ordered calamansi juice and pineapple juice initially. And that she stated that they may not have pineapple juice so she would give mango. But what she was missing was my calamansi juice. So she basically wasted two drinks with that mistake.

Then, when the food came out…we had to ask for utensils because they didn’t give us. How were we supposed to eat without utensils? Then, we also asked for the sauce that comes with the lumpia shanghai since they brought it over with no sauce.

Now, I ordered the pancit palabok. I don’t know if something seemed spoiled in the food but when I started eating…it was like eating what smelled like a wet rag. I had my husband taste it and he said it’s not that good and to me, it tasted like something was spoiled. I already felt like I was bothering them and I didn’t want my money to go to waste since the prices for their food is actually a lot pricier than the other fellow Filipino restaurants nearby that actually has better tasting food (like Renee’s). Then, we asked for two cups of water. We thought that the water cups weren’t clean because it seemed like there were things in the water but they said it was lemon water. Okay.

Anyways, not a good experience overall. I don’t know if it’s the staff or the cooks or whatever. The food was sub-par. Lacked any love into it. The garlic rice with the breakfast platters seemed like old rice. Not pleasant to eat. The corned beef for the breakfast platters was also not good. It seemed like it was sitting there for a while and just plated. For the price of their breakfast platters with the other Filipino restaurant a few stores down, it was definitely not worth it. The other Filipino restaurants included a drink and also two eggs versus one.

Honestly, the gratuity they state that is included for 4 people or more…isn’t worth it. Especially when the food and the service wasn’t great. They may be having an off day but definitely not wanting to come back here especially if there are other better Filipino restaurants within the same block that has food that tastes better.

The only reason I would order is to go with the desserts. At least...

The food and service – LOUSY! Here’s my story: I stopped by this restaurant today, 8/10/22. to have dinner. I waited far too long for my food to arrive, and when the first dish arrived, still no plates on my table and no glass of water. I had to ask for plates and water. The pinakbet was over-cooked and the tinolang manok tasted so bland, there’s too much ginger in it that it was like seeping a hot lava soup. But what really made me more upset was the 20% gratuity that was automatically charged to my bill, which was more than $20. This is not right and against the law! So I complained. It’s a good thing I scrutinized my bill in detail or they would have gotten away with this highway robbery! So they re-did my bill, and in the new bill the suggested gratuity minimum was 18%. So I gave 18% tip - I tried to be generous to restaurant workers, BUT I just don’t like it when they would automatically imposed 20% gratuity, especially when they don’t deserve! The restaurant’s staff definitely needs training on hospitality, proper service and table etiquette. But what got me even more upset was when I got home, the plastic container they gave me where I put my left-over tinolang manok was leaking, there was a big hole underneath which I didn’t see because I put it in the plastic bag together with the other food. I think the waitress intentionally gave me container with the hole as her retaliation for not giving her 20% tip!. Shame, shame! I like to patronize Filipino restaurants but this one I won’t...

Service was amateurish. The wait staff was unattentive, they seem really young and maybe it's a millennial thing but surely, customer service was not their priority. They aren't knowledgeable of the ingredients in the food they serve. When asked if the bbq was marinated with peanut butter, we received different answers, finally confirmed they were and guess what? my kids are allergic to peanuts! We had to leave our meal and the kids to buy Benadryl, no pharmacy available but thankfully the neighborhood bodega carried. We also had to ask for water twice.

Food was eeh! The Arroz Caldo wasn't cooked up to par, t wasn't smooth and there were clumps of rice stuck together like the cook have low standards or wasn't taught properly. The Tokwa't Baboy didn't have that authentic Filipino ingredients like pork ears. The BBQ taste ok but nothing like Ihawan's or Renee 's. The only dish that my kids really ate was the Lumping Shanghai, they would've ate the BBQ also if it weren't for them catching an allergic reaction.

Much to our dismay, they tagged our bill with a 25% gratuity charge without informing us. Unsuspecting customers most likely double tips. Thankfully we always check our receipts, but 25% is absurd. They don't even deserve 15% for the bad service. They also charge 4% extra if you use a debit/credit card, so in total we were charged 29%.

We would not be coming back here to dine. Maybe just buy their cakes and...