Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine — Restaurant in New York

My family’s experience at Jasmine’s last night was a classic case of everything happens for a reason and Black businesses not respecting the Black dollar.

We had a 7 p.m. reservation for 9 for my bonus mom’s birthday. When my SIL arrived at 6:45 p.m., the manager, a male wearing a Celine T-shirt, told her that if we weren’t there by 7:10, we would forfeit our table. That was STRIKE 1, because he rudely started admonishing her before we were even late. I suspect that when he saw her race there was an assumption we’d be late. Also, the website says there’s a 15-minute grace period, like most NYC establishments, not a 10-minute one.

My bonus mom and I arrived at 7 p.m. exactly, while my dad and sister parked our vehicle literally feet away. They arrived at 7:05 p.m. exactly, which was still within the 15-minute grace period. We were still waiting for four others from our party who were parking also, but the manager continued to rudely tell us we couldn’t be seated. The rudeness was STRIKE 2 because there’s a polite way of interacting with potential patrons and a wrong way. Mr. Celine T-shirt chose the latter.

STRIKE 3: Now, Jasmine’s is EXTREMELY small; it’s housed on the ground floor of a classic NYC townhouse, so it’s rather narrow. It made absolutely no sense not to seat a party of 5 while we awaited the arrival of the last four, who ultimately arrived by 7:10, mind you. There was a clear bottleneck of people as we were made to stand in the narrowest part of the restaurant and had to move each time a patron or staff needed to pass. This not only affected us, but also the actual diners who were sitting at high tables and the bar.

The manager came over to tell us at 7:07 p.m. that our party had 3 minutes to arrive. Again, this was incorrect according to the website. My sister attempted to explain that the rest of the party was minutes away and asked if we could be seated at that time. Mr. Celine T-shirt’s “compromise” was to seat the 5 of us, which would activate the 1.5 hours of dining time, and the other four in our party would have to eat within the remaining time and might not even be sat with us, even though the table was already set up for 9. As my sister was speaking with the manager, my dad politely attempted to reason with him also, but Mr. Celine T-shirt turned to my father and rudely said he wasn’t talking to him and was speaking to my sister. He also kept mentioning that the restaurant had reservations for two other large parties later in the evening. This wasn’t said to prove that he runs a well-oiled machine that can’t have a kink in it. Instead, it was said to let us know that Jasmine’s doesn’t need our patronage. That was STRIKE 4. By the way, the rest of our party arrived during this time, and it was 7:10 p.m. In addition, no one else was waiting for a table.

We’re still trying to process how Jasmine’s was going to serve a party of 9 rounds of cocktails, appetizers, entrees, dessert, and after-dinner coffee or cocktails within a timeframe of 1.5 hours, but we’ll never know because WE LEFT!

We went to SWING 46 instead because host Wolfgang had spoken to my brothers as they walked past on the way to Jasmine’s. We had a LOVELY time! The food was delicious; the libations were potent yet smooth; AND Wolfgang danced with my bonus mom, my sister, and I after our meal as a live jazz band played. Swing 46 definitely made up for the horrible experience at Jasmine’s. So in the end, everything happens for a reason, and we paid our nearly $1,000 bill and tipped more than appropriately for a splendid evening.

It’s too bad these reviews require us to give at least one star because Jasmine’s deserves ZERO. Well, I guess the one star can go to the bartender who asked if my nephew could have a candy and then played a quick guessing game with him in which he discovered the candy. Yeah, that was the one bright spot.

To quote Dr. Maya Angelou, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you...

Disappointed on my grandmother's birthday. This was my first time visiting this restaurant. I was happy to hear that it was black owned and women owned. I decided to take my grandmother there for her 85th birthday, it was the perfect location for our short walk to see the Christmas tree after dinner. When reserving online, I informed them in the notes that it was my grandmother's 85th birthday, and I'd like to celebrate her. Before arriving to the restaurant, I called to confirm that they received the note, and asked if they would bring out cake. They told me not to worry they've seen the note, and they will bring out cake and sing happy birthday. I then asked if I will have to say anyrhing when I arrive. They said no, they have everything under my reservation. When I arrived, I STILL signaled sneakily that it was my grandmother's bday. The maître ď acknowledged. Toward the end of dinner the music changed to birthday music, I got my camera ready only for them to bring the cake to the people right next to us. Lol. I'm sure even my grandmother thought it was for her. I thought she would at least be next, only for them to bring me the bill. Don't you know the server had the nerve to look me in my face, in front of my grandmother, and tell me that she didn't know it was my grandmother's birthday. UNBELIEVABLE. My response was, you know now. I'm thinking to myself this has to be a cool joke. And obviously if you know enough to tell me, and pretty much reveal the surprise in front of my grandmother, why couldn't you have taken that same time to simply go in the back and bring out a slice of cake with a candle on it?? I was highly frustrated. Especially with all the effort I made to communicate to them about wanting to celebrate my grandmother and make her feel special on our evening out. I'll be honest in reviewing the because just about everything we had we enjoyed. All of the appetizers we had were delicious. The ackee and salt fish was okay. My grandmother enjoyed her curried shrimp. The rum punch was good, not too strong, but still good. The carrot cake was not good. It was a thick cold slice of sugary carrot cake. Not moist, and no real flavor or spice. Yes, I actually ordered dessert to hint at the cake. They gave me my cake without catching that hint as a reminder. All good. Because of that, I wouldn't return. It's a cute spot in terms of decor, but poor...

We have been looking forward to visiting Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine. My Yelp reviews have helped more than 90,000 people to date. In my travels throughout the country, I have dined at various restaurants. I would like to begin by sharing some of the positive aspects of Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine. I was reminded of the colorful little family-owned and operated restaurants that we encounter during our visits to Jamaica and Puerto Rico by the interior decor. Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine is a small restaurant with a great color scheme throughout. We received our meals hot and each plate was adorned with a beautiful signature flower. As a result, the curry chicken had a slight taste of curry, and if you did not check to see if you had ordered curry chicken, you might have missed it. Based on the lack of flavor, you would not be able to tell. In addition to the perfectly sliced carrots and vegetables, the salmon was accompanied by a delicious sauce. It is certain that a member of the Team will respond with a reply debating our personal experience at Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine. But before you do so, please take a moment to take a look at the footage of your restaurant and take a look at the couple dining at the table on the far left near the fire place. We experienced poor service on Sunday evening, November 17th, around 7:00 pm. To find out when our desert would be delivered, we had to speak with our waitress. Our waitress answered, "I do not work in the kitchen, I just put the order in. " I would like to conclude by saying the best part about our dining experience at Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine was the delicious rum cake drizzled with a delicious sauce over two scoops of vanilla ice cream. As a result, we were not disappointed with the overpriced coconut shrimp appetizer that was overfried and hard. In the course of dining at Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine. Our impression was that parties seated with four or more were favored due to the possibility of receiving a larger tip or gratuity. As we sat there ignored by our waitress, we observed the difference in customer service provided to larger groups. If you are seeking authentic Jamaican cuisine, you should skip Jasmine's Caribbean Cuisine and find a restaurant that provides excellent customer service to all...