BLVD Bistro

I really enjoyed this restaurant for brunch on Sunday. It was lovely. The space is a little tight but they accommodate as best as they can. The wait staff was nice. The restaurant manager and owners were great. It was a great experience. The food was fantastic. You can’t go wrong with anything on this menu.

This place had great reviews so wanted to check it out for my birthday brunch with my family. We made a reservation for 3pm on a Saturday, and granted the entire party did not arrive till around 3:30, but we still weren’t seated till 4pm. We were given complimentary mimosas due to our wait which was nice. When the food came, it was pretty good. Most of the party had catfish and grits or fried chicken platter. I had shrimp and grits which were good. Chicken was a little lack luster to me. Overall if you come be prepared to wait. Food was ok, but not worth the wait to me.

«Date night» with my husband and all I can say is this will be the first of MANY nights that will be spent here! Service was impeccable and the food was absolutely unbelievable!

Great ambiance! Great food! You can definitely tell the food was cooked with LOTSSS of love! The service was excellent! From the General manager to the waitress and servers, everyone was very attentive.

My husband and I had a Sunday brunch here. There were many customers so most of customers had to share table with strangers. Which is ok for us but the gap between tables is a little too narrow…
One good thing is their service was good. Even they had a lot of customers and still provided a nice service. :)
Sadly, the food doesn’t look that good as on everyone’s photography. (You can see the French toast is very burny… from the pic I post) also, we have ordered jumbo shrimp and grits. Well, personally speaking, maybe it shouldn’t be the first meal of a day. It was delicious when I had the first bit. So I gave them 3 stars review.
Thanks for your reply. I mentioned the French toast was burned because we saw our neighbors’ french toast wasn’t as burnt. But actually I like the taste expected the crust.

We came here for brunch on Sunday and the wait was an hour, which is normal for popular brunch places. We got seated in a communal table outside after they refused to seat us in an individual table even though there were two tables available right next to us – apparently they had people waiting to be seated yet nobody actually sat there until we left. The table was wobbly and the couple next to us spilled their water. We asked a waiter to either clean it or give us napkins and he said «we’re not cleaning it, it’s raining outside.» Someone eventually got us a few extra napkins.
We ordered pancakes and French toast and they were okay, nothing special and *definitely* not worth the terrible service.

Me and my boyfriend went to this place on a whim on New Year’s Day for brunch, and we are SO glad we did! The place was rather busy since they are normally not open on Fridays, but made an exception for the holiday. We were told that the wait would be at least and hour, but they took down our number to text us when our table was ready.
The space is relatively small. It is very cute and cozy in the bottom of a brownstone. We we seated a table with another pair already eating. It was a little awkward because the table is set-​up as if we were a party of 4, but split between two couples. Once we were seated we just focused on enjoying the space and the arrangement really didn’t matter.
The service was GREAT! From the General manager to the waitress and servers, everyone was very attentive.
The FOOD was amazing! I ordered the catfish and grits and my bf ordered shrimp and grits. They had to be the best grits I have ever had at a restaurant. We throughly enjoyed the food and would return!

I found this restaurant via Unilocal.Harlem has some fantastic restaurants popping up, and I thought I would give this one a try.
When I went to their website, I could not find a place to make reservations. I viewed the Unilocal information, and there was no requirement for reservations, so I took a chance. I invited an out-​of-​town friend and her husband as they were in town for a television appearance.
When I arrived, there were open tables and a couple waiting to be seated. When their hostess greeted me, the first thing she asked was if I had a reservation. I informed her I did not. She told me that the wait time would be 20 – 40 minutes. When I asked how she came up with the time, she told me that other people had made reservations.
It was storming outside. There was NO ONE waiting other than me and another couple, yet the anticipated wait time was going to be up to 40 minutes? I started to leave. It would have been the best move in hindsight, but my friends were in a cab headed my way.
The hostess informed me that they took reservations via Open Table. I went on Open Table while I sat in the restaurant and made reservations for 7:30 p.m. It was 7:20. So much for the 20 – 40 minutes wait time, right? Not so fast.
And let me say this, this hostess wasn’t the most welcoming individual. One would think I wanted a table where there was a line of people waiting, and I was asking for the impossible. She had «rules.»
When the clock hit 7:30, I jumped up and caught another server. I showed him my reservation and without hesitation, he told me that a table was open, and he would prep it. I informed him my guests were in a taxi, but I would order drinks and appetizers for all of them.
Unfortunately, this server consulted with «the hostess» before seating me. The new «rule» is that although I have reservations for 7:30, there is another party who also has reservations for 7:30 p.m. Because their reservations were made first, I would need to wait until 7:45 to give them time to arrive. Again, another warning. I should have left.
Needless to say, NO ONE came at 7:30, 7:35, 7:40 or 7:45. I was the only paying customer still waiting in the foyer to be seated. By 7:50 the hostess finally «allowed» me to be seated.
My friend arrived by then, and we ordered.
FOOD: Was it worth the effort? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
I ordered the $ 24.00 plate of shrimp and grits. The shrimp was good, but the grits were UNDERCOOKED. I also ordered red beans and rice. I am almost certain that what I got was a Zatarains boxed red beans and rice. It was not anything that a chef would make. It was mostly rice, with the beans cut into tiny pieces. It was very salty. Sorry, but this was not made to order. And it was COLD. By cold, I mean it was sitting and waiting somewhere and started to turn cold.
The red beans and rice were sent back.
What I did like was the blackeye peas and sausage dish. My guest also ordered this. When my dish came out, there was steam coming from it. She remarked, «Oh, yours is hot? I assume this means her dish was cold.
Her grits were also undercooked.
My other guest ordered a hamburger. He said it was good. The only thing I noticed is that his side of fries consisted of FOUR large steak fries stacked in a pattern on a platter. FOUR fries. That was it. To be honest, I believe it was three, but I’ll throw in a fry for good measure.
PORTIONS: The sides were very small. If I had a measuring cup, I would put them at approximately ½ cup. Small enough for your iPhone to be used as a platter to hold it. The iPhone platters of sides cost $ 7.00 each.
SERVICE: Our host, Tracy, was a lovely soul. He was tipped generously. He was very gracious and a pleasure. It’s not his fault that the food was not up to par. The hostess, however, needs training. When your restaurant has no waiting customers, you should take the customers who are there and willing to pay. Chef: He was there. Never came over to our table. Never said a word. I saw him at other tables, but not ours.
I’m all for small business, but the food has to be good. Maybe people who give this food a high rating has never had actual soul food. I’m not talking about unhealthy soul food, but pure soul food with flavor. Maybe this is what this location is trying to do, but when it came to OUR dishes, it fell short. Undercooked grits and boxed red beans and rice is an abomination to any good southern cook.
COST: Our bill was $ 103.00 for a dish of shrimp & grits, two small orders of blackeye peas, one hamburger with four fries, one plate of grits and two glasses of wine. We had planned to split the bill, but I felt so embarrassed with the quality of our dishes, that I paid the bill in full myself.
By the end of our meal, not a single guest arrived after us. So much for the «reservation enforcer.»

I had a really good experience at BLVD. My boyfriend had been hyping this place up for MONTHS. We ended up going early in the day (pre-​drinking hours) — I usually like a mimosa with my brunch so next time I will have to try one when I go back.
We got there a little bit before it opened. We decided instead of going in (there were clearly people inside) we would wait outside for our friends. The manager came out to see how we were doing an to invite us inside. He was extremely friendly, professional and personable to everyone who walked through the door.
IT is pretty small. I feel like they could benefit from expanding a little bit. I can see that it could get packed on the weekend ALL day. Unless I had a reservation I probably wouldn’t go on the whim. They also have some outside seating –but that is limited as well.
I got the shrimp and grits. They were tasty! The catfish was also good (I tried my bf’s). Some of the meals came with biscuits with an amazing honey butter-​yum! The service was good. Our waitress made sure our waters were filled.
Good place to go! :)

I would like to put this restaurant in my pocket and take it out whenever I need my fix. I went here last Saturday, without a reservation. But with a face and charm like mine, who needs one?! The host was extremely accommodating and even tho there was an hour wait, I was seated in less than 30 minutes!
Received the biscuits with the crack… I’m sorry, cinnamon butter. I’m not sure if I was hungry but baby Jesus smacked me into heaven when I put this tiny biscuit in my mouth. May I add that I hate biscuits? Don’t care for them. But THIS… I think I’m going to go pray now.
Seeming as this sweet little biscuit produced a party in my mouth, I was extremely excited for the rest of the meal. I certainly was not disappointed! Service was amazing and the visit from the owner towards the end was the cherry on top.
I can’t wait to go back. #feening

Adjoa S. and I had a very unusual experience here on a Saturday afternoon. Summary: BLVD messed up, and they messed up real good. But they made up for it.
At about 1:30pm, we had a 30 minute wait. Luckily, it was still warm enough to eat outside, and our host did a good job making sure we knew he remembered us and was getting us a table ASAP.
The brunch menu is short, but there’s something on it for everyone. Adjoa opted for the Pan Fried Chicken Dinner, and I went for the catfish and grits.
We had a lot of catching up to do, and we barely noticed time pass until we saw the people next to us, who sat down after us, getting their food before us. About 45 minutes into waiting, we flagged our host and asked what was up. He was shocked and said he’d find out.
About 15 minutes later, we were brought complimentary mimosas an a big apology. We felt appeased and knew our food was coming soon.
But then another 20 minutes later — with more of a buzz — we still had no food. We cared less in our heads, but our stomachs were growling. We checked in again. Everyone was shocked we had no food. We were immediately told our already-​complimetary drinks, food, and dessert would be comped.
An hour and a half later, we had our main dishes and another mimosa. We gobbled the food down, which was good but, honestly, at that point, anything was going to be good. I think we would have enjoyed it more if we hadn’t been so hungry.
We were never asked about dessert but, honestly, at that point, we had other things to do with our day and were finally satiated.
I’d like to give BLVD 4 stars for their food, but I can’t in good conscious given how badly they messed up checking on our order more than twice. Maybe sneak a granola bar in your bag if you plan to come here, just in case.

Um dos melhores restaurantes que eu já fui em Nova York. Não conhecia o Harlem e foi a primeira vez que provei Soul Food. Tudo Fantástico! Ao começar pelo atendimento de todos que trabalham lá a comida deliciosa! Ah tbm vale a pena provar as cervejas locais do Harlem. Estão todos de parabéns e eu voltarei com certeza.

Came here for Saturday brunch recently and was so happy that this place lived up to its full potential — and thensome!
The manager/​host was very accommodating when we needed a table for two with no reservations at such a busy time. I arrived about 20 minutes before my friend and tried to put my name on a «list» so that we wouldn’t have to wait. But — as most places — they won’t seat you until your entire party is there. No biggie. Once she arrived, we were seated within 2 minutes.
The service was excellent this time around — not too fast, not too slow. Our server was very friendly, as were the others, who smiled at most of the patrons.
The food was — again — amazing. I ordered the banana pecan pancakes. They were heavenly delicious. Seriously — I imagine if you ordered pancakes in heaven, they would be these exact pancakes! My friend ordered the blueberry buttermilk pancakes and she thought there were really good.
We shared a side of turkey bacon and home fries. Both were good. I enjoyed the unique homefries because they were not the traditional greasier fries — and trust me, I love me some greasy home fries — they were cut potatoes seasoned and served with, I think, sauerkraut.
Only suggestion I would have is to have alternative milk options — my friend is allergic to milk and dairy, so she couldn’t have any coffee because there was no almond milk, soy milk, etc. If the muffin cart on 135^th now has almond milk for an extra dollar — no reason for a restaurant not to have an alternative.
Overall — so happy that I had the great experience I was hoping for. Will absolutely return!

Cute little restaurant on an otherwise sleepy block on Malcolm X. The service is nice and warm, and the atmosphere is energetic. Highly recommend making reservations for brunch because the waits can be crazy, and everyone was looking real sullen at the door, waiting for their turns to stuff their faces.
The food was pretty good:
— Biscuit sandwiches were delicious — eggs scrambled with pecan bacon and placed inside the fluffiest biscuits. We saved the tops of the biscuit sandwiches for the awesome brown sugar maple butter they place on the table. Like melty, melty goodness.
— Chicken dinner plate came two boneless chicken breasts to a plate with (usually collard greens, but today, thin long green beans) and potato salad. The chicken came a bit cold and soft, which was disappointing, since all of the other reviews on here proclaimed ‘BESTFRIEDCHICKENINHARLEM,’ which isn’t true. It might’ve been different if you ordered the chicken and biscuit platter, as the chicken comes served in a little fryer basket (yes, so cute) and maybe that means you get a more freshly made batch. Who knows. Anyway, the chicken was also bland, but instantly tasted better with a slather of the ol’ sugar butter.
We had wanted to try the bread pudding that everyone was RAVING about here also, and the waitress assured us there was plenty to try at the beginning of the meal, however, at the end of the meal, there was no bread pudding (why she couldn’t reserve a piece for us since we specially requested at the beginning of our meal, no clue), so that was a bit disappointing.
I know. Life can be so sad without bread pudding !

Small and lively sit-​down restaurant with modern take on soul food. Ultimately overpriced and underwhelming.
Two people ordered for sharing:
Appetizer Fried Chicken Sliders $ 14
Side of Garlic Mashed Potatoes $ 7
Seven Cheese Macaroni $ 18
One Blvd Spiked Sweet Tea $ 10
One Red Sangria $ 11
Total bill $ 65
Pros:
–service is very friendly. In fact, I was late, but they still held our table despite having some people already waiting. Really appreciated that.
–Fried chicken, even just in the sliders– delicious! Moist and perfect. I would imagine the pan fried chicken main course is also delicious.
–biscuits were pretty good, but the butter is what makes them worth it
–music selection is on point! Provides great ambiance to your meal, but is a bit too loud for conversation.
Cons:
–price for portion size. The side of garlic mashed potatoes comes in a skillet the size of my tiny palm. Literally maybe like three scoops. The two starter biscuits are SMALLER than the size of my palm, more expensive than the potatoes! Lastly, the macaroni is about two handfuls; almost the price of the other two dishes combined.
–taste: underwhelming. Again, apart from the chicken, nothing blew my mind. The potatoes were extremely bland; you can’t even taste the garlic or any salt. The macaroni was also bland, and extremely greasy. There was literally a pool of grease in the casserole when we would scoop it out. The macaroni also claims to be topped by bacon, but it must have been invisible bacon because I couldn’t see or taste it.
–smoky interior. Very smoky. I assume the kitchen has bad ventilation and therefore the dining area looks like everybody had tree cigarettes going.
Summary: I’d pass on this place. The cost just isn’t worth any of the food. If you live nearby and want to spend some money, get the chicken.

So this is a cute quaint place and local, me and my girls randomly selected this venue based off reviews and locale and the need for girl time. And my desire to eat at every new establishment in Harlem. The staff pleasant enough though at times one may have felt rushed with the persistency of the bussing staff (normally I would’ve admired the attentiveness, but our guy just gave the air of…“your holding up a table”).
Also disappointing was the limited bar situa which I and a few of my girls had missed in reviewing the menu prior to arriving. My recollection was that there was some sort black business participation/​restaurant week type thing was happening (I’ve now fallen into the habit of writing my reviews several weeks or months after visiting a place, so certain info escapes me at times… bad habit I’m trying to break). In any event, the regular menu was limited and pricey (I think everything was al a carte (so don’t go hungry) compared to the prixe fixe menu which had some decent choices but equally limited as most prixe fixe menus go, yet I still wished certain items were on the regular menu like the bed of greens with watermelon and some kinda Cajun shrimp… very #Yummy.
It was also pleasant to learn that the former manager of Cecil is now managing Blvd Bistro. He has a very out going attitude and attentiveness vibe about him and generally makes you smile.
Alas his good nature unfortunately will probably not have me go back to this establishment even with the quaint environment, pleasant staff… well almost pleasant (bus boy needs work) and interesting yet limited menu that I could live with on occasion. I think the priceness and lack of a decent bar menu did me in.

I had my eye in this place for some time. The description of the Bistro appeared quaint and intimate; thought it would be an ideal spot for a girls-​get-​together who haven’t been together in a long while.
The interior was exactly what was described. Charming sunken lower garden gated entrance.
We were a party of four; had a 6pm friday evening reservation. It was just before the full onslaught of the dinner crowd. The host escorted us to a booth and shared pleasantries; which created a relaxing introduction. The menu options were nothing to wake up grandma about. The time slot allotment us to partake in its happy hour — which was a really nice choices of cocktails for $ 7. Entrée potion sides were health. I had the turkey meatloaf — I had better. The best thing that came to the table outside of cocktails were the warm biscuits and ginger butter. We could have filed up on that and left quick satisfied.
I would return. Enjoyable experience.

Man oh man! A diamond in the rough this place. I’m so glad I was able to get the experience here. I never have nothing nice to say about soul foo spots in NY, but this one is good!
I wanted to get out the house so I decided that myself and little one would go for lunch. I’ve had bad experiences at Sylvia’s and Amy Ruth’s so I was a little skeptical about this place. We walked on over and the rest was history.
The waitress was very nice and knowledgeable about all menu items. I ordered the fried grouper with okra, tomatoes and corn and the baby got macaroni with bacon. As I wait for our food I looked around and the décor is nice and chillaxed. It’s a small spot but is nicely decorated and comfortable. I also loved how they have the soundtrack of my high school life playing in the background lol. The music is perfect for this place.
We received our food at a good time. The baby’s macaroni was good and my grouper was so delicious!!! I was honored to meet the chef himself and he’s a nice guy. This is most definitely my spot to visit when I come. They also have brunch on Saturdays.

I wanted to go for a nice, casual brunch on my 30^th birthday (a Sunday) and my husband found BLVD Bistro for us on the same morning. We called ahead to inquire about reservations but they don’t accept reservations for two people for brunch. It didn’t turn out to be a problem, though. We rolled up at 11am and were seated outside immediately, which was fabulous on a sunny, warm day. The inside was quite bumpin! Note: the seating outside is at communal tables. We had a table to ourselves, though.
I can’t remember our servers name (Che? Chad? Tre?) but he was awesome. He was friendly, smooth, funny and professional. He was like the epitome of a good server in my books.
Onto the food! I ordered the strawberry pancakes and my husband ordered the biscuit sandwich. Holy Hannah that thing was huuuuuge! I still can’t believe he finished the whole thing. My pancakes were really delicious — fluffy and soft on the inside with a slight hint of crisp on the outside — wow. And the serving was huge, I couldn’t finish them. I only wish there was a bit more fruit on them.
I walked through the inside of the restaurant to get to the washroom and the room seems really cozy and cool. If I ever found myself in this neighbourhood again I would certainly like to hit up BLVD Bistro again and try some other delicious dishes from their menu!

(February 27, 2015)
Came here to have dinner w/​one of my friends. As a first-​time patron, I was impressed with the professionalism, menu design and friendliness of the staff. Although, the space is quite intimate, I enjoyed myself and the dish I ordered.
Most dishes are made to order — which is rare in NYC.
I was mainly impressed that they didn’t sell hard alcoholic beverages! That’s a first! They do have watered down sangria and cheap house wine (don’t recommend) but you will definitely enjoy the soul food here.

I had the shrimp and grits and loved it. It was so thick and creamy. It also came with a buttermilk buscuit which was to die for. My friend had a catfish plate with grits and biscuit. It looked and tasted heavenly. The owner are Carlos n Joy! They are so sweet and kind. The interior is so quaint and cozy. Be sure to look at the celling.
Ive been twice and the food taste consistent. Be sure and make reservations.
You gotta check out this place!