EKO Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

I live in the area, and I was very excited to see this establishment open. I called in advance to find out if there was a dress code (I was in a hoodie and shorts) they welcomed me. The place is beautiful and I appreciate them for bringing some elegance to the neighborhood. I was VERY excited about the Caribbean/Nigerian fusion. I am familiar with BOTH cultures and had high expectations on the food being jam packed with flavor.

The time I went, it wasn’t very busy. My server (male/blonde hair) was also bartending at the time. I work in the restaurant industry as well and I understand things happen….but due to him bartending for the whole restaurant AND waiting tables at the same time….he wasn’t able to be very attentive. I had to get the attention of other servers to call him. But AGAIN I work in this industry… so that wasn’t even the bulk of my issues….

I sat down with my friend, and we review the menu. The menu is a bit pricey, but again the place is gorgeous , and I’m willing to pay whatever for great food, ambience and service.

Strike 1. My friend ordered a margarita, my server brings him a lemon drop ….

Strike 2. I asked how many crabcakes come in an order my server told me 4. My friend and I EACH order crab cakes as an appetizer. I’m not sure if it was a mistake on the kitchen’s behalf or my servers behalf, but I know for a FACT that my server knew that we wanted TWO orders of the crabcakes because he repeated the order to us. The appetizer arrives and it is one order of crabcakes…actually let me remove the “S” because it is literally ONE crabcake for $26 on top of some dry kale. It tasted like canned crab, my friend tried it and spit it out. I was literally starving and would’ve eaten anything at that point, so I ate my crabcake. Thank God only one Oder came out…We cancelled the second order of crabcake.

Strike 3. At this point my friend is turned off so he doesn’t even want to eat anymore…. I’m still hungry so I order the Rasta pasta with oxtail. My meal arrives…I ask my server if the pasta doesn’t have any vegetables in it? (initially I didn’t see the veggies) this man looked at me in my face and said no. So at this point I’m just irritated because I’m like I know these people didn’t bring me noodles with Alfredo sauce w oxtail. I mixed the food around a bit and saw that there actually WAS vegetables in it…..I tasted it 4/10. BLAND BLAND BLAND. At this point I just asked for a box and the bill. Here was the cherry on top of my TERRIBLE experience….my server asked is everything ok…I’m like yeah….im just ready to go. I’m ngl my energy was down because I was over it….Now I was NEVERRRRRRRRRRR going to even write a review but his following comment is what made me write this. This man really opened his mouth and said “ you guys are being lame” ….. I almost lost it.

What’s LAME is you are not Knowledgeable of your menu. I would rather you tell me you don’t know how many crabcakes come in the order, but you can find out then to just freestyle in my face. Had I initially known that it was ONE crabcake for $26… I would’ve never ordered that.

What’s LAME is you telling me that there is no vegetables in the pasta and that’s how your pasta comes when there IS in fact, vegetables in your pasta. I am Caribbean ALL Rasta pasta has vegetables in it. Again, if you don’t know something, find it out. do not lie in my face.

What’s LAME is the restaurant not being adequately staffed so you now have to bartend and serve at the same time and are not able to be attentive to your tables.

What’s LAME is the establishments over priced under seasoned food.

My bill came out to about $100 (gratuity WAS included) and I STILL tipped $20 on top of that. tipping is a reflection of ME.

I will never be back. I had a horrible experience. This place is a beautifully wrapped piece of...

We arrived at the restaurant for our 7:30 PM reservation around 7:39 PM. Upon entering, we found the host stand empty and had to venture further inside to get someone's attention, as the host area was not close to the dining space. Given our slight delay, it was crucial to announce our arrival.

After a short wait, a host finally appeared. I mentioned our reservation time, but her overly sweet sickly response was disheartening: “You’re 20 minutes late, and we only seat for two hours.” Surprised by her claim, I checked my watch, which read 7:40 PM, and pointed out that we were only 10 minutes late. It felt surreal as she insisted we were indeed 20 minutes late.

I reiterated that it was still 7:40 PM, questioning how we could be considered 20 minutes late for a 7:30 reservation. After some back and forth, she adjusted her statement to say we were 15 minutes late, which still didn’t seem right. Thankfully, my friend suggested we drop it, as I was tempted to continue the discussion, curious about her grasp of time.

At 7:41 PM, we found ourselves squeezed into a tight area, eagerly anticipating service. By 7:55 PM, our patience was wearing thin as we still hadn’t seen a waiter. Frustration set in, prompting us to consider other dining options nearby, especially since our initial welcome felt as if it came from someone in a different time zone. It was perplexing that no one had approached us to take a drink order or even offer a friendly greeting.

Just as we were about to leave, the host finally returned to inquire if anyone had taken our order. The restaurant was divided into two sections—one filled with a distinct hookah scent and the other, where we sat, appeared to be less busy—yet we had been completely overlooked. The host offered us a complimentary round of drinks, but my best friend made it clear that the decision to stay was up to the birthday girl, our other best friend. Her expression spoke volumes; it was clear she was not interested in staying.

Having backgrounds in customer service, with two of us having worked in restaurants, we could easily sense her disappointment with the lack of attention. After a brief discussion, we made the decision to leave. The host lingered at our table, perhaps still disoriented by that time zone mix-up, and muttered something under her breath. Fortunately, I was the only one who heard it; otherwise, she might have been checked by my group.

I chose this restaurant because I had a wonderful food experience there for my birthday a few months back, and I was eager to return for my best friend's birthday celebration. As a Nigerian American, I have a good sense of authentic flavors, especially after enjoying the real deal in Nigeria. I do believe Eko should consider transforming into a full-fledged Nigerian restaurant or hire a genuine Jamaican chef from the countryside, as they truly know how to cook.

Unfortunately, from the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was disappointing. My friends and I are all about positive vibes, and this just didn’t cut it. Thankfully, we found another restaurant after leaving, and it was a complete turnaround. The new place had a vibrant atmosphere that saved the night for the birthday girl. To top it off, the host was in sync with our time zone, which was a nice touch, and we were warmly welcomed as soon as we sat down, despite the restaurant being packed. Our waiter introduced himself and provided exceptional service throughout the evening.

Eko, it’s crucial to invest in better training for your hosts to enhance the overall...

⚠️ WARNING: Dine here at your own risk!

My sister and I walked into this place with high hopes and excitement, but left completely disgusted, disappointed, and frustrated. Let me save you the trouble — this is not worth your time, money, or energy.

First red flag: the location. It’s literally stuck next to a Food Bazaar supermarket, sharing the parking lot. Not exactly the type of place you expect when you’re dressed up and ready for a nice evening out. But we didn’t let that throw us off. We stayed optimistic.

When we arrived, we were seated right away (we were even early for our reservation). That was the last good thing that happened. From there, it was all downhill. The place wasn’t packed, but service was still painfully slow. The lighting was so dim we couldn’t even read our menus, and unlike other tables, ours didn’t have a lamp. We had to ask for one — why wasn’t that common sense?

We sat for almost 30 minutes before our waitress even came by to take drink orders. Strike one. Then, the drink I wanted (their so-called “Love in Top”) wasn’t even available. How does a lounge run out of their own specialty drink on a Saturday night? Strike two.

The waitress suggested another drink. Fine, I went along with it. Another 30 minutes later, the drinks finally arrived — and that’s when the night officially ended for me. Sitting on my glass? A bug. Floating inside my drink? Another bug. YES, TWO BUGS. Absolutely revolting.

I flagged down another waitress because ours was nowhere to be found. Instead of apologizing, she looked confused, took my drink over to a brighter area to “investigate,” and then acted shocked when she saw exactly what I had told her. The solution? Not a new drink. Not a sincere apology. Not even a manager coming over to acknowledge the situation. No. The waitress casually told me they were “out of that drink” and asked if I wanted to order something else. Are you kidding me?!

Meanwhile, my sister’s drink tasted like watered-down juice. At that point, we canceled everything — but apparently, our food was already being prepared (even though drinks took forever). When we said we didn’t want it, instead of understanding, they still tried to bring the appetizers out! Then they had the audacity to bring us a check for my sister’s horrible drink. No apology, no accountability, not even a small gesture like comping the drinks to make things right. Just a receipt.

This was beyond disappointing. It was disrespectful. A manager never came to the table. No one cared about how we felt. No one cared about how serious it is to serve BUGS in someone’s drink. That’s not just bad service — that’s a health hazard.

I came wanting to support a Black-owned business in the community, but unfortunately, this was yet another letdown. And no, this isn’t a “bad night.” This was a total failure in service, cleanliness, and professionalism. Ruined celebrating my sister's promotion!

I can’t rate the food because we never even got that far — the bugs in the drink were the final straw. Consider this your warning: eat and drink here at...