Cafe Rue Dix — Restaurant in New York

Unfortunately, I was not impressed by my visit here; I was beyond dissatisfied! You have to go to a window to order your food—felt like I was at a hood spot or a fast food joint. The food was overpriced. Worst of all, I later realized that I was overcharged. They didn’t even give a customer copy of the receipt, very sneaky. I’m not sure if they went ahead and added the tip without my knowing, but somehow we were charged $88 for what was advertised as a $72 meal (two fish dishes, one drink and one appetizer). On top of that, the hostess wasn’t very welcoming and honestly seemed annoyed. We then had to carry our own cups, water bottle and utensils to our table. The table was sticky and hadn’t been cleaned off properly, which is a big red flag, especially with Corona. It was crowded but there only seemed to be one waiter. He was odd. He had what looked like multiple Q-tips sticking out of his face mask; I guess it was a fashion statement, I’m not sure. All I know is that Halloween was over a week ago. Furthermore, his pants were sagging which is not what I wanna see when I’m eating. I asked the waiter for straws which I never even got; I later walked up to the hostess and had to get them myself. My drink was tasty but weak. The salmon wasn’t nasty but was underwhelming. It was dry, not medium well at all and I was expecting a salmon steak but it was a salmon fillet. It had no seasoning. It came with a cold, sweet, tomato tasting sauce—not my preference at all. The black olive mashed potatoes were fine. The kale wasn’t as crispy as described but was edible. The beef fataya was pretty good, however, some pieces had over cooked fried dough that were hard. Though, it was still the best thing we ordered. The sauce that came with it was extremely overpowering—way too spicy, and this is coming from someone who likes spicy food. My friend said her snapper was dry and that her veggies were too mushy and soft. She said the sauce that the fish came with was nasty and sour, she wasn’t sure what it was. Also, there was a loud group of people just standing by the restaurant, they weren’t even waiting to be seated. I’m not sure if they were friends with the owner or something but it was very tacky and concerning during COVID. This was my first time trying Senegalese food, I heard it was good. I was disappointed in this place, but I am open to trying other places in the future. Overall, it was a lackluster experience at this restaurant and I would not recommend. It didn’t seem that authentic to me. This place was trash and I would never come back and will warn my friends and peers...

I’m new to the neighborhood, moved here Aug 1. I’ve been to Cafe Rue Dix at least 5 times since then (as well as before I moved to the neighborhood). In the last two weeks, I’ve FREQUENTLY Enjoyed the food, paid my good tips, and even ordered takeout. I wanted it to be my neighborhood spot. I told all my Black diaspora friends about it, how I want them to come and visit. I bragged about Cafe Rue Dix on insta and now I met a fellow Jamaican writer there. What a cool place, I thought. But what about the basics of good service?

Today I went at 1pm. I have had a hard day. I haven’t eaten anything all morning. I asked the host/server working (his name was Cottom or something, I couldn’t decipher what he said exactly) if I could have a table outside for one, I pointed to the table him. He said yes and he would serve me. He came outside to give me the menu, asked how I was doing, I said, “trying to hang in there.” He gave me the menu and said he’d come back to take my order. He gave me no water, as is customary when you are seated, but thankfully I had my own disposable bottle. I sat there for at least 15 minutes before he came back to check on me (in the meantime a nice elder Black man who grew up in the neighborhood had been keeping me company with conversation). Please note the restaurant was not unusually busy. This was 1pm on a Friday afternoon.

Cotton eventually came back to me after 20 minutes, to ask if I was ready to order or wanted some water. The tea I wanted wasn’t available, I said I would love some water and give him my full order at that time he came back.

Almost another 10 minutes past. At that point I felt ignored, unseen, unprioritized, and unvalued as a customer. Almost 40 mins after I had first sat down was when he started pouring me a glass of water and brought a bottle of water to my table. I told him I no longer wanted it and left. Of course he made no apologies or explanations, just took up the glass and turned quickly away.

I needed good food for my body and spirit, so I went to Cafe Rue Dix. I needed good service because that’s what I expect as a paying, dine-in customer. I received neither and left hungry and disappointed. I don’t know how comfortable I’ll feel patronizing this place again, or inviting my friends to come along. Thanks for making a hard day shittier,...

I heard about Cafe Rue Dix on Chowhound awhile back and since my brother was in town, we decided on staying local and giving it a shot. The place was pretty packed and was dimly lit, a bit romantic to be honest (maybe not the best pick for 2 guys). The service we got was well meaning but kind of sucked. Our server flat out forgot to put in the order for our entrees, even asking my brother if we wanted dessert while I was in the bathroom. Not only that, but he BS'ed that my fish was what held everything up later on. I'm not a chef but I know it doesn't take an hour to grill a branzino. He only apologized at the end of the meal, insisting on buying us a round when we were trying to leave. Between all of that, him disappearing for long stretches and and trying to cut me in line for the bathroom, it's safe to say the service isn't the high point here. The food showed promise, but unfortunately even our experience there was uneven. I got a bourbon based cocktail which was very well made; I ended up having 3 of them while my brother stuck to beer. The empanadas we got as an appetizer were very good. They had a nice, flaky shell and their beef filling was well seasoned. The hot sauce they came with was great as well with a deep, earthy spice to it. The fried calamari was a decent portion for the price point, but very much on the salty side; the avocado sauce was nothing special. The brnzino was grilled with spices and served whole on an iron skillet; they did a great job seasoning and grilling the fish, which by the way was not on the small side. Topped with tangy caramelized onions and plantains, this was a hearty and satisfying entree. However, my brother's shrimp pasta was downright mediocre and barely edible. The problem was that the sauce was very plain and the pasta was stuck together like it had been sitting out for awhile--which it probably was while they were rushing on my fish...