Martine's Bistro — Restaurant in New York

I recently had the sincere pleasure of eating at Martine's Bistro. As its location and proximity to nearby relatives, I thought colloquially and had yet to rave about the service, kindness, and the delicious flavor of my meal. Albeit, I have spread the fine occurrence of my experience via word of mouth, I am more so elated that I am able to present the honor ubiquitously and give the same aforementioned over a better well-known platform, the world wide web.

Truth is, I have been going to this spot for months, and I have yet to experience a poor turnout. Each time I go, I place my order family style and take a large quantity to my loved ones. On occasion, I stop in with my 84-year-old Haitian Grandmother, Jacqueline. Upon entry, you are met with respect, benevolence, humility, as well as the grace, patience, and supplication of "Lakaye," or home for my non-Haitian Creole speakers. Irregardless of the dialect spoken, come get a plate, of culture, class, refinement, and hospitality that you would only experience at home. For me, that sounds a lot like, “how may I have the pleasure of serving you this evening?” For grandma, it is closer to the nomenclature of “Koman ou ye? (How are you?) Kòman w santi w? (How are you feeling?) Kisa ou te manje jodia? (What have you eaten today) Ki sa ou nan atitid pou manje? (What are you in the mood to eat?)”

Favorable fried meats, I have sampled include “kodenn fri,” fried turkey and “poul fri ak sòs,” fried chicken with stew sauce covered in onions and bell peppers, as I have literally bitten my own finger during consumption. “Poul nan sòs,” which is chicken in sauce, literally melts off the bone, as well as their barbeque chicken, and jerk chicken as all are just as delectable as the last.

Miraculously, my clothes still fit, as I am still in wonder knowing that each dish deserved a standing ovation, after receiving Martine’s stamp of approval. Yet please do not take my long-winded explanation on culture, language, ingredients or feelings exalted, at this spectacular restaurant. Stop in today. Grab yourself the menu. And select anything or everything I mentioned and do indulge. A final word of advice, should there be “Makawoni au Graten,” Haitian Creole spelling or “Macaroni au Gratin,” French spelling, please be sure to order two, as it is so the most flavorful way I have ever experienced the combination of penne or rigatoni, added butter, peppers, onions, evaporated milk, salt or seasoned salt to season it, mayonnaise, grated parmesan cheese and baked to a cheesy excellence paired with a lightly broiled decadent layer of exceptional quality. Please note that this review was written out of mere admiration of exquisite food, by a Haitian American male enthusiast. The ingredients mentioned are known to vary from kitchen to kitchen, as it would be best practice to ask prior to assuming in your own analysis, as Martine’s sauce is of her very own, guaranteed not to disappoint.

Should you happen to feel a little bougie, pronounced and commonly misspelled as “boujee, boujee, boujie and boojie,” I encourage you and your potential propensity to pull up a seat, and should you be a kind “mesye,” (gentleman) a lovely madam (married or elder woman) or well incurred “madmwazèl” (miss, in creole), “mademoiselle,” (miss, in French) allow me to get the seat for you as we colloquially “break...

I recently had an incredibly frustrating dining experience at this restaurant. From the moment I walked in, I felt unwelcome. I had to ask if they were open for dine-in, to which the woman simply told me to go sit down. As I waited I didn't receive a menu for a while, which already set a negative tone.

On a positive note, I was given a complimentary appetizer…fritay I believe, which was amazing—definitely the highlight of the experience!!! However, the issues began when it took far too long for my order to be taken. I noticed the waitress disappearing to the back for long periods of time and it seemed like every time a new customer came in for take-out, they got their orders before I even had the chance to place mine. It took 20 minutes just to get a menu and then another 20 minutes to have the waitress come back and take my order.

When I asked about drink options, the waitress told me about a kola drink but didn't offer anything else. After asking her to check for other options, she disappeared again. I waited a full 30 minutes without food, sitting in a cold restaurant with the door wide open. I tried to remain patient, but the situation was becoming ridiculous. At one point, I rang the bell on my table to get her attention, she shouted “I’m coming” but when she finally came back, she still didn’t address the drink options.

Eventually, I decided to take my meal to go after waiting more than 30 minutes for my entrée. At this point, I was cold, hungry and frustrated. When I told the waitress I wanted my food to-go, she waved me off and insisted I sit and eat because my food was ready. She didn’t apologize for the long wait or her lack of attention. After repeating myself, I was handed a to-go container, and she quickly brought the check.

While the appetizer was great, the goat dish with black rice wasn’t appetizing. To be honest it caught me off guard especially after the appetizer I had. The service was terribly inconsistent and unprofessional. It’s hard to overlook such a lack of consideration for customers. The cold restaurant, long waits, and the feeling of being completely forgotten by the staff make it difficult to recommend this place. As a paying customer, I don’t expect to be told to wait for nearly two hours just to receive my food, especially when I’m not being treated with basic courtesy. I won't be returning...

As a passionate advocate for all things Haitian, I make it a point to support Haitian-owned businesses wherever I travel. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had — not just at a Haitian restaurant in New York, but overall.

Let me preface this by saying I’m always empathetic when someone is having a rough day. I’ve worked in customer-facing roles before and understand the pressure. However, when you're in the service industry, attitude matters — especially when interacting with customers who walk in with excitement and good intentions.

Upon arrival, my group was greeted with a noticeable attitude. Still, we chose to stay — we had traveled 30 minutes to dine here and were visiting the city. When asking about the menu, we were met with dismissiveness and pressure to order immediately, rather than being given a moment to decide. I had to walk away for a moment to collect myself because I felt my own attitude might begin to mirror the one being shown to us — and I didn’t want that.

When our food was finally served, the table hadn’t been properly cleared or set for the type of meal we ordered. If dishwashing is an issue, that’s something to manage internally, not to let it affect guests' experience. Every time we had a question, it felt like we were bothering the server or interrupting her shift. Drinks weren’t served until we were halfway through our meal — again, with an attitude.

To top it off, as the last guests in the restaurant, we experienced the music being turned off while we were still eating and staff casually singing in the kitchen — a moment that was more awkward than amusing.

Despite everything, we stayed because we truly believe in supporting local Haitian businesses. In hindsight, this was a mistake — a BIG mistake. The food was okay and reasonably priced, but we would’ve happily paid more for better service and a more welcoming environment, like what we’ve experienced at The Rebel in Manhattan — hands down one of the best.

What pushed me to write this review is that when we tried to give respectful, direct feedback, we were again met with attitude and dismissiveness. This isn’t just about one bad experience — it’s about the opportunity to do better and represent our culture in the best light possible.

I sincerely hope the owner reads this and considers making some...