Rayal Lounge — Restaurant in New York

The Good: The heart behind this restaurant is undeniable. The owner is charismatic, deeply rooted in the neighborhood, and clearly invested in building something special. It’s energizing to see a Black-owned business serving Caribbean food in this area, and I genuinely want them to succeed. Their warmth and vision has caught on with an older crowd. I see a lot of intergenerational groups and this is a great place for bringing family. The music selection is wonderful.

The Bad: I visited on a hot summer day and placed a takeout order for one of their lunch specials. The place was not busy. Nearly 40 minutes passed while I sat inside, watching other tables ordee receive water, meals, and service, and leave, but I wasn’t even offered water. Other groups had the kitchen’s full attention. At the 30-minute mark, the owner came out to tell me they’d run out of rice and peas, because the larger, seated group had received the last of it. Even though, I had already paid. As a takeout customer, my single dish should’ve been straightforward. Instead, it was deprioritized. Worse, no effort was made to make it right. No alternative sides were offered. Despite my clear request not to receive white rice, they served it anyway. It felt like they ran out of food and ideas.

The Ugly: The meal itself was a disappointment. The jerk chicken wasn’t spicy, and it was overcooked. Instead of the seasonal vegetables listed with the special, I was given a prepackaged mixed green salad with no dressing. The plate felt like an afterthought: plain white rice, dry chicken, and a sad salad. There was no sauce or flavor to make it work. The redeeming factor was that i ordered an extra side of plantain. Imagine waiting 40 minutes for what you didnt order and having to tweak it at home. Not a good experience.

This place has potential. It has soul. But the fundamentals of running a kitchen and managing customer experience aren’t there yet. Because of how wonderful the owners are as people, I'll be waiting two or three months so the kitchen can get a bit more practice before my next visit. I hope things will be...

I heard about Rayal lounge in the "New" Bedford Stuyvesant (Brooklyn)from a friend and let me tell you it was amazing!! As I walked in , The Modern style and diverse crowd was so inviting if felt as it was a modern day "Cheers". After 10 minutes "Everyone knows your name " and I was right at home.

As for the Service I couldn't be more comfortable and well taken care of. I knew within the first 15 minutes I was coming back next weekend especially after I ate the fried plantains in about 2 minutes(I couldn't Stop)

Lets go with the Cocktails! They have a special homemade Caribbean drink called Sorrel made from Hibiscus flower which is so Refreshing I couldn't stop drinking it and they make all sorts of Cocktails with it. I had a Sorrel Vodka Martini with a hint of Ginger Beer called the "Uncle Ray" O.M.G as the kids say these days.

Now the food. I had a Dish called the Chow Mein with Shrimp. It was a thin Caribbean Lo Mein style noodle with Grilled Jumbo shrimp and light veggies and spices. Just the look of the dish was perfect but I ate it anyway and boy I was very impressed! Many good Vegetarian/Vegan options also.

No the kicker was "ZULLY's famous Pepper Sauce" Now I am a Hot sauce and pepper connoisseur and this stuff needs to be on high end store shelves. I loved it so much I literally begged Zully herself to sell me a bottle to take back to New Jersey. She was so friendly and nice she gave me a Beautiful and Sexy bottle to take home on the house with a bottle of Sorrel to top it off. I think she could tell I was in Love!

Overall The Prices were great and lower than I expected . I left a pretty big tip and still questioned myself if it was enough because I felt like they went above and beyond on every aspect.

I forgot to take a picture of the food because I ate it so fast and all I could think about is what Im getting next. Sorry, next time.

Unforgettable...

Great spot for food and drinks and great location to the subway and LIRR.

Drink menu is pretty standard for what you would want between beers, wine, and liquor. They also have a cocktail menu for some of their creations. The rum punch is good but it definitely strong!

Food is pretty good. Had a little tasting of several items. -The Zully wings were a sweet chili, not spicy. -Jerk wings had good spice flavor but not a spicy burn. -The whiting (pictured) is good, basically a fish and chips basket. -Oxtail with rice and beans was nice and tender. The meat was well marinated and went great with the rice. Just watch out for the bone pieces that are mixed in. -Goat curry was excellent, the favorite of the night. It has its own unique taste with the curry but it was very flavorful, meat tender, and curry...