flamingoBABY Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

Randomly decided to go out for an early dinner on Saturday afternoon. We arrived at around 5:30 and were told it'd be about 30 minutes. The door had multiple signs stating they were CASH ONLY so I used the wait time to walk to a local bank to take out cash. We also walked a few blocks down to Starbucks for a beverage before heading back. Once we returned at 5:57 I went back to the hostess to see the status of our table. She turned and said "it'll be about 25-30 minutes". I responded "you told me it'd be 30 minutes 30 minutes ago". When she realized she'd already told me that she apologized and said she'd seat us shortly and to just wait at a table outside. We obliged and at around 6:20 she came out and got about 4 couples and led us inside to our various tables.

The venue is small but cute. They were playing mid tempo afro beats the entire time which was nice. The menu was updated and more extensive than what I'd seen online. I decided on the basket of biscuits and cornbread to start. My daughter ordered the FlamingoBaby chicken platter with candied yams and I got the sweet and spicy wings and potato salad.

The bread basket came out after about 25 minutes. It was just ok. The 2 mini biscuits tasted like pipeyes but less salty. The cornbread was ok but didnt taste fresh out the oven. The honey butter was the star of the show though! The rest of the food took about 45 minutes to come out. I honestly should have left being that I'd been "waiting" to eat since 5:30. The staff was very polite but honestly seemed clueless. Almost like they were kids managing the house while mom and dad were gone.

My wings were mid at best. More sweet than spicy, not too crispy and warm when they were brought out 5/10

The potato salad lacked flavor...it wasn't "eggy" enough for me personally. It gave potatoes and mayo so that was also 5/10

My daughter said her fried chicken lacked seasoning (so she doused it in their house hot sauce). It was crispy and she got 3 big pieces so I'd give it a 7/10.

Her side of yams was decent...a little too soft for my liking but they tasted ok. 8/10

The best part of the meal was honestly the side platter of MAC and cheese we ordered after waiting for the bread basket. The serving size was large- more than enough for 2 to share. It was hot and fresh and very creamy and cheesy. It perfectly complimented our meals and provided a substantial amount for a doggie bag. 9/10

Our bill was less than $90 (without tip). I thought that was excellent being that sometimes I can spend $100 at Applebee's for mediocre chain food. I didn't order any cocktails as I was on an empty stomach and honestly none of their signature drinks sounded appealing. They are CASH ONLY so we were able to pay and walk right out which was great being that I'd spent almost 3 hours there smh.

All in all I'd give the experience and food a 5/10. Definitely not worth the crazy wait times. The staff was very polite and well intentioned but they seemed understaffed, untrained and overwhelmed by 20 something patrons they had (both inside and outside). I can't say I'd go...

Where do I even begin with Flamingo Baby Kitchen???!!…. I was so disgusted and disappointed at the same time. Let me preface by saying I have been observing all of the cool reels on Instagram for this restaurant. I saved it in my things to try folder. I should have shared this restaurants information with friends that needed places to go For their celebration. I originally was supposed to go here for my son’s graduation, but couldn’t get there on time. I was so excited to be able to finally treat my husband to this restaurant for his birthday. When we got hit there, needless to say, the place did not look aesthetically pleasing from the outside nor when I went in on the inside. But I didn’t let that deter me. I will still excited sit down and finally experience this and talked about restaurant. So when we went into the restaurant, I was greeted by the manager, who was standing behind the bar area saying you can step back outside someone will be with you. Strike one the way she said it was not welcome. When I met the greeter, she was Nice. I was then informed that our party was too large to be seen to be accommodated. We were a party of eight. She asked the manager hey can they sit in the restaurant and the manager told us no absolutely against our restaurant policy to sit parties over six. She stated that it’s on their Instagram and on their phone when you called, I didn’t see it on any of those places. But I digress.. I looked around the restaurant and there were only three people sitting down eating in the restaurant and one person outside in the patio space he wasn’t even eating. So I asked can we break our party into two separate tables? We won’t even sit together and you can serve our food at two different times it’s OK. And she still said stated no She will not accommodate us even if we are too separate tables because we’re going to still want to wait around for each other. Mind you this is about two or 3 o’clock in the afternoon and their restaurant is pretty much empty. She also informed me that there was only One chef as well. But I think what turned me off the most was the managers attitude. She was not nice. She was not a great representation of the restaurant. She had turned myself and my whole family off so much. I had to call a couple of my friends and let them know. Don’t worry about going to that establishment. I cannot read the food, because I wasn’t even greeted nicely or seated or given the opportunity to be two separate parties to enjoy the food. But I decided to come on here, just merely on the merit of nasty attitude and the inability to accommodate when your restaurant is empty. Attitude is so important when it comes to where you were spending your money. Downside I will not go to flamingo ever again nor will I recommend it to any of my friends, family or associates. But on the bright side, I was able to go to a really nice restaurant about eight minutes away call Shane’s Here in Brooklyn and it was nicely accommodated and the food...

I’ve debated writing this review because the food here is genuinely phenomenal. Every dish I’ve had has been full of flavor, well-executed, and memorable. The menu is impressively varied, which makes it a great option for both adventurous diners and those who tend to be a bit more particular. On food alone, this restaurant easily earns the reputation it has, and I’ve recommended it in the past without hesitation.

That said, my most recent experience left me questioning whether great food is enough to justify continuing to return. The establishment itself is very small, which I understand makes seating limited. It’s also first-come, first-served, which is fair. But what I cannot overlook is the lack of professionalism and courtesy from the staff. This past weekend, I called ahead as I was just around the corner to ask if there was space available. If the answer had been “no,” I would have happily gone elsewhere. Instead, I was met with a dismissive, almost mocking response. The woman on the phone acted as if my question was ridiculous and reluctantly told me, “Yes, I guess there’s space, but you just have to get here.” I arrived literally two minutes later and waited outside with my partner for about 15 minutes before anyone came to acknowledge us. When a hostess finally did appear, she shouted something unclear to the line and walked away. The guests ahead of us turned and left, but I didn’t catch what was said. I stepped inside to politely ask for clarification, only to be met with a condescending look and dismissive body language. When I asked again, she abruptly told me that they weren’t seating anyone or adding names to the waitlist, and wouldn’t be doing so for another 90 minutes.

To add to the frustration, this interaction took place at 12:00 p.m.—two hours after the restaurant had already opened. Meanwhile, tables inside turned over very slowly, and when parties did leave, the tables often sat uncleaned for far too long. I want to emphasize that it saddens me to write this. I am a firm believer in supporting Black-owned businesses, especially those led by Black women. But it is frustrating, and frankly discouraging, to be met with unprofessionalism and outright rudeness when the food deserves so much better representation. Hospitality is as much a part of the dining experience as what comes out of the kitchen, and unfortunately, the front-of-house service has been inconsistent at best and, in this case, outright hostile. If this had been my first visit, I doubt I would have ever returned. And that’s the most disheartening part—because the food here is truly some of the best I’ve had. I only hope the service one day matches the caliber of...