Rebel — Restaurant in New York

The realest review you will get ! Honestly…. They tell you to support your own kind and I’ve had way better service else where. Don’t come with high hopes and expectations🤦🏾‍♂️…..don’t bother going to this restaurant. There’s an amazing Pizza spot down the street and I had some great slices and wings….. He also figured that we were one of many people that didn’t get seated at the restaurant down the street after waiting 2 hours. Seems to be a common problem there

Where do I start ?

I saw this great looking Haitian restaurant on Instagram and I was like wow, my Haitian people moving on up ! They have a restaurant in Manhattan! First thing I did was grab my phone and called to reserve a spot for me and wifeys date night. A lady picked up the phone, sounded very polite. Over the phone she said “you don’t need to do a reservation, just walk in … it’s only the two of you” I responded “really, on a Saturday night in NYC ” she said it’s okay to just show up and walk in . So I told her I’ll see you at 9-9:30 ish on Saturday.

1. Saturday night we arrive at exactly 9pm to the restaurant and first person we encountered is a lady at the front door asking us if we have reservations. And that the wait is 1hour and 30 min🧐…. I noticed the reason why she said no is because they would rather reserve the seats for bigger parties vs couples. To make more money . We stayed there from 9pm-10:50pm and no one ever came to sat us down. We left and they didn’t even notice us. That’s how bad the service is. So we decided let’s leave and go get some pizza instead

2. while we waited to be seated, we sat outside and ordered 4 drinks which cost $18 each plus tax and they were not even good, they bought us the wrong order and claim that’s what we ordered. When fact is she was looking at another tables order which I had to mention to her. She was trying to outsmart me by making it seem like I ordered the same drink twice.

“Li panser li ka paser sou Mwen “

3. service is terrible, they bought us others peoples food outside that we did not even order shoot if we knew we were going to take that long we should have taken the wrong order. There was no professionalism on their part at all. The lady who serves us the drinks just dropped off the drinks and didn’t even ask if the drinks were fine or just made us feel welcome at all. The little glass they served us the drinks were sticky, seemed like the cocktail dropped all over them and they didn’t even bother to clean it up.

Didn’t get to taste the food, but read the other reviews, you’ll notice...

I had been craving Haitian food for a while and this place did not disappoint. I had the chiktay (smoked herring) appetizer, which also came with green plantains. The chiktay was so flavorful/delicious and the plantains were fried to perfection. The chiktay had A LOT of oil though, which I noticed at the bottom of the bowl. It wasn’t a problem for me since it’s not something I eat often, and I don’t feel like it affected how much I enjoyed it but something to be mindful of if you need to limit oil intake. For my entree, I had legume and diri ak djon djon (black rice). As a pescatarian, I like that they don’t cook their legume with meat. That’s so hard to find at restaurants. You can pick your protein to add in, and I chose shrimp. The rice was on point-texture, flavor, everything! The legume was okay. I felt it was missing something in flavor but can’t exactly pinpoint what. I did notice some liquid separation from the puréed veggies so maybe it just needed to cook down more to let the flavors settle in. It wasn’t bad, but considering how great everything else was, it just fell a little short. I would probably skip it the next time. However, the shrimp in the legume was cooked well. Overall, I would come back to try more of the menu, especially since they seem to have a decent amount of seafood options.

One thing that I did not like was that they charged $8 for a glass of lemonade. $8 is wild to me considering it wasn’t made in-house. It came out of the bar tap. It tasted like watered down Minute Maid. And, since it was happy hour, the cocktails were the same price and the beer/wine was actually cheaper! I could maybe understand the up charge if it was a mocktail, but this was not...

I had the pleasure of celebrating a 70th birthday at this wonderful Haitian restaurant with a group of 15 guests, and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. From the moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere was alive with the vibrant sounds of authentic Haitian music, setting the stage for a memorable evening.

The highlight of our visit was, without a doubt, the food. The menu boasted a variety of authentic Haitian dishes that left our taste buds dancing with delight. From mouthwatering griot to barbon shrimp every bite was a flavorful journey through Haitian cuisine. The use of traditional spices and seasonings truly captured the essence of Haitian flavors, and it was evident that the chefs took pride in their craft.

The atmosphere was perfect for a celebration. The spacious dining area allowed us to move around comfortably, and when the music started, it was hard to resist the urge to dance. The staff were incredibly accommodating, making sure our party of 15 felt right at home. The warm and friendly service added to the overall positive experience.

Our 70th birthday celebration was made all the more memorable thanks to this Haitian restaurant. It's a place where authentic Haitian food, great music, and a lively atmosphere come together to create a truly special dining experience. If you're looking for a taste of Haiti and a night of celebration, this restaurant should be at the top...