New Era Cuisine — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I can’t in good conscience recommend this place. I went in for lunch and dined in. (They also had a $5 off promo for a review going on, which my friend and I did) After ordering my friend and I waited almost 45 mins for our food. In that time 2 people walked out because they had waited a significant amount of time as well and couldn’t wait any longer. The other people waiting were continuously asking about their food since some had ordered before coming in. We got our food and it wasn’t bad. I ordered the egusi with chicken and my friend ordered the egusi with snapper/catfish. We both ordered based on what we thought the price was on the menu ($24.99)(see pic below) and also while ordering the woman taking our order said that the egusi comes with a protein of our choosing. The menu along with the woman taking our order made us assume our meals would be $24.99 each, but that wasn’t the case. When my friend went to pay they said that her total was $50 bc she got snapper/catfish instead of chicken. Nowhere on the menu said that there would be an additional charge for a different protein, nor did the person taking our order, say there was, so we were really confused. The chef/cashier (who was very rude) who was ringing us up tried to explain to us that ordering anything other than chicken is an additional charge and she tried saying that it states so on the menu (it does not 😒) and then she also said that my friend couldn’t use the $5 promo bc she was already doing her a favor by taking $15 off for her switching her protein and that we had to choose which discount to use (None of this was making any sense to us)..When I went to pay and tried to use the $5 off promo I was being told that is was applied, but the price still didn’t make any sense to me and then when I looked at the register she was only taking off 5%. After watching her take off the promo, the $5 dollars miraculously came off. For my friends order we decided to wait for the manager to sort out the situation. The staff (mainly the cashier/chef) was also rude by asking us if we knew what the price of fish was and why we thought it would only be $25..😒 The manager came and she was very friendly, and she explained to us how the price breakdowns were supposed to be and that snapper/catfish wasn’t suppose to be added to egusi in the first place and that I was a misunderstanding with their staff. After explaining the menu, she charged my friend $30 and not the menu price with the promo. The owner also stated that this had never happened before and I find that hard to believe especially when the 2 gentlemen that were sitting waiting to order were also stated that they were confused by the menu. Again, I would like to reiterate that the manager was nice, however, this entire situation left a bad taste in both myself and my friends mouth so we will not...

Pls do NOT order catering services from this restaurant! Overall, the professionalism is not there: the food arrived OVER AN HOUR LATE, was unlabeled, and the owner struggles to take accountability for poor service. Learn from our mistake and believe the bad reviews!!

Long Story: My colleague and I placed an order at this restaurant for a school-sponsored event. We saw the less-than-great reviews posted but wanted to take a chance and see if the restaurant had improved its services. They haven't and we regret not choosing another place! The ordering process was fine. However, on the day of delivery, the food showed up over an hour late. To make matters worse, communication on the delay was non-existent—we had to continuously call the restaurant to ask about our order and received excuses every time. When the food finally arrived, no apology was given and it was unlabeled! How do you prepare food for a large event and forget to label it so we know what we're serving? Attendance for our event was high, however we had to turn people away because the food hadn't arrived. Then, because it was unlabeled, we had to waste even more time figuring out what was what as to avoid serving students food they couldn't eat.

We called the restaurant after our event to express our disappointment and were met with accusations and more excuses! First, the restaurant owner insisted we gave a different delivery time (not true. But even so, it was still late!). Then, she expressed frustration at the fact we requested delivery under short notice (we requested it 48 hrs before the event). When we asked her "Why did you agree to accommodate our delivery request if on-time delivery would not be possible?", she changed her tune and insisted traffic was to blame for the delay. Sure, traffic happens, but why were we not provided an update? She had no answer for that. Regarding the lack of labels, the restaurant owner said "Oh, normally I label everything." That's nice to know, but irrelevant to the issue at hand. Eventually, she began apologizing and that was it. No partial refund, no offer to "make things right", nothing. The restaurant's mistakes cost us time AND money! When we inquired about at least receiving our delivery fee back ($25 to drive ~4miles), she said "I can't give you any money back."

Worthy of note too, along with the excuses she insisted that her restaurant was a preferred partner with our school—this was not true. Our school does not have a formal relationship with this restaurant and after this situation, will likely never order from New Era again.

Nothing personal, just business. The lack of professionalism is unacceptable. I hope that the owner can reflect on these 1-star reviews and improve...

I recently had the opportunity to revisit New Era Cuisine, a Nigerian restaurant that left me with mixed feelings after my first visit. Initially, I was disappointed by the not so great customer service, which prompted me to reach out to the owner directly. To my surprise, she responded immediately and graciously inviting me back to experience the restaurant again.

Taking her up on the offer, I returned with two dinner guests, and I’m so glad we did! This time, our experience was night and day compared to the first. The owner took the time to explain the challenges they had faced and reassured us that she was actively working to improve the service. Her commitment to making our dining experience enjoyable was evident, and it truly made a difference. I was thrilled to dine here, and I can confidently say that I was not disappointed. The moment I stepped in, the vibrant atmosphere set the stage for a wonderful culinary experience.

I ordered the whole fish with egusi soup and fufu, and it was absolutely incredible. The fish was perfectly cooked, with flavors that had me craving more—I should have ordered two! The egusi soup paired beautifully with the fufu, creating a satisfying and hearty dish.

I also tried the vegetable spring rolls, which were crispy and filled with fresh ingredients. My fork traveled over to my dinner companion plates to try the jollof rice which was awesome, bursting with flavor, and the plantains added a sweet and savory touch to the meal.

Every dish was not only delicious but also beautifully presented, showcasing the rich culinary traditions of Nigeria. New Era Cuisine is a must-visit for anyone looking to indulge in authentic Nigerian cuisine, and I can’t wait to return for another round of those...