Charm Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

So, I had hit Charm Bar during the 2023 Kwanzaa Crawl. I was interested in returning, and I also saw a few Instagram posts. Last night my family and I celebrated my birthday, and the most charming and congenial wait staff served us; the lovely Miss Sabrina. Anything that was needed, she was on it, and thus, she was pretty much managing the entire restaurant. It appeared there may have been a private party in the back, so it was busy. The bartender was cool too. Drinks were not bad at all. I settled for a Blue Moon (sans the orange slice sadly, as no fresh oranges were left). The other two family members got the Rose Sangria, and it was well-made.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The food was exceptional, with more than healthy portion sizes. I got the roster pasta and added lamb. Those lamb chops were money. I surely did not expect whole lamb chops in the pasta. I thought there would be only pieces of lamb, but to my pleasant surprise... Another family member got the Griot and cannot stop raving about it. The other family member got the Orange Ginger Glazed Salmon. We all look forward to lunch today.

While this restaurant does not serve dessert, the food portions are worth the trip. This is a boutique restaurant, but it’s well-appointed—to meet up with friends, hang out at the bar, or celebrate an occasion. From what I believe, it is a black-owned establishment, and I’m all about that life. Especially in these times when we need to band together as a community, we need to support our community businesses.

I’m glad I visited Charm Bar and will be back for the Lamb Burger and Truffle Parmesan Fries.

Cheers to Miss Sabrina for holding it down. I also appreciated the pyrotechnics with the drink.

Note: Most restaurants these days do tack on an included gratuity. Gratuity can range anywhere from 15 to 25% of the pretax bill for average to good sit-down dining service. This ensures that wait staff stay employed and are paid a wage that’s livable. They do work extremely hard, and if you come across any that are professional and amenable, please be kind and show...

Charsu and I came here for brunch and a catch up meal. Upon entry, there was a huge crowd of people blocking the entrance. They just seem to be standing there. We waited more than 10 minutes and we tried getting someone's attention as we were waiting to be seated and there were quite a few of empty seats available. After more than 15 - 20 minutes, we were finally seated. It took another 15 minutes before we got the menu and someone came over to take our order.

Our waiter came took our order and filled our water cups. That was the last we saw of him until of course, as soon as we put down our forks, he comes running with the bill. The place wasn't packed and there was still quite a few empty seats. Our waiter didn't even give us a chance to finish our drinks before he came with the bill. One thing I didn't like is that they put an automatic 20% tip regardless of party size. This was annoying since, there wasn't any service! No one came to check in on us and our water cups were empty since the initial filling along with having to eat our food without having extra syrup or hot sauce as requested. Also, when the server came with the handheld computer, the computer asks for another tip. Be sure to double check your bill to ensure you didn't pay double the tip.

We ordered chicken and waffles ($20) and chicken with french toast ($24). The food took more than 45 minutes to come out and it was piping hot. The chicken was delicious and crunchy. It had the perfect level of spice and crunch. Unfortunately, though they didn't properly drain the chicken and it was hella greasy. My friend's french toast was charred and burnt to a crisp in certain spots and it was inedible. For the prices and the portion size, every single bite of the meal should be consumable especially after waiting for so long for the food. A table behind us, their chicken was so burnt, that it looked like blackened chicken. I saw the diner scraping off the burnt pieces with their knife. The cooks here should be more consistent or try to pay attention as these types of inconsistencies ruined an otherwise great...

Charm Bar & Restaurant is what I consider to be cozy and small, but not cramped. The decor is inviting, the vibe is right, and the music brings a lot of nostalgia. A lot of classic reggae tunes that is sure to keep your head bopping.

I made reservations for 7:30 pm (to celebrate my sister's birthday) for a party of 4. We were seated immediately with zero wait time (a huge plus).

Dinner Service Review:

Our waitress for the evening was pleasant and kind and gave each of us an iPad to view the menu. I was excited to try the "oxtail crab rangoon" but was disappointed it was not available. Quite a few menu items of interest were not available. So, it left a limited amount of menu options to choose from.

I ordered the crab rangoon which was tasty and flavorful, but was not "piping hot" it was surprisingly just warm as if it was left out for a while. I ordered a side of sweet plantains as an appetizer which was delicious and was served hot (happy camper). I tasted my mom's Maryland style crab cake, it was soft, flaky with lumps of crab meat with great flavor. I also tried my sister order of buffalo style cauliflower chicken, it was warm not served hot. However, it was tasty and delicious.

The entrée of choice was rasta pasta with shrimp (any protein of choice added is extra) it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I enjoyed the spicy notes of the jerk, the pasta was cooked al dente (huge plus) it was definitely memorable. I did sample a piece of my mom's oxtail and was greatly disappointed. It was tender, but lacked spice and was just "too sweet." The balance of flavor was off.

I took away one star mainly due to service and the appetizers being warm. Our waitress for the evening was wonderful, but because it was super busy I did not recieve the full service attention refills of water, check-ins if everything is OK etc.

Will I return? I just might as the brunch menu items peaked my interest. I see oxtail and grits on my radar amongst other...