Braai

Disappointing. As not only a South African, but also someone who has spent my entire life in the food & beverage industry, this was a sad attempt. Being in the USA for the last 5 years, I was really excited to try this restaurant when we were in Manhattan, but can’t remember the last time I was so disappointed. With the amount of options for dinner within walking distance, you’d think that there would be a but more effort put into dinner service, but I guess that’s why we walked past 50 packed restaurants, and we were one of only 2 tables in the building. The restaurant was dark and gloomy, food was mediocre (at best), and they were out of the main South African meals on their menu. Slap chips weren’t even close to the real thing, the buns on the ostrich sliders were rock hard, could barely bite into them, calamari and hake were cooked in extremely old oil. The only part of the meal I enjoyed was the droëwors plate, which was $ 10 for 6 small pieces. Maybe call the owner of Karoo Restaurant in Cape Cod, there’s a reason why we struggled to even get a table there, and we were pretty much the only table in Braai.

Good diverse food, nice atmosphere, low prices
Came here for a casual dinner on Thursday night. Liked casino yet stylish interior, good vibe.
The menu was diverse with multiple meat, seafood and vegetarian options. We ordered ostrich sliders (good!), lamp chops (great), corn (great), coconut palenta (good), and lobster salad (okay, I wouldn’t order it again). Staff was attentive.
I’d come back try more things!

After a long trek up to Columbia in the morning and a sturdy craving for a more interesting brunch, I found myself stumbling back down the island and into Braii — well, outside of Braii, having chosen to adopt an outside table over sitting inside with a large, raucous party if 20 or so. I’m not a stranger to the solo brunch (or solo dining), so I appreciate any restaurant that doesn’t have servers give me a look of pity when I say no, I am not waiting for anyone else.
I ordered ostrich Benedict to be adventurous, and while ostrich may not become my favorite meat choice, I found the dish to be flavorful and cooked well. The side potato has was also rather good, and the bread was a nice touch to hold me over for my meal. I took a glance at the dessert menu and resisted, but the options seems enticing and well reviewed.
Overall, ostrich Benedict is worth a try, but if you’re not adventurous, you may not enjoy the taste. Service was good, restaurant didn’t take terribly long to bring my food out, and the location is convenient — 51^st just past Maria Pia and Ippudo. Would frequent again if in the area.

I had been wanting to give Braai a try for a while (I live around the corner) so finally pulled the trigger on a Sunday brunch date. The food was great, however the service was not. Our waitress was slow and barely spoke despite it not being very busy, but no big deal. What was a big deal is that my date and I both asked for «a glass» of sangria. We were not looking to get hammered. As expected, we both were served one glass each. The bill came and we saw we were charged with the unlimited brunch drinks – 19 $ each. We asked if we could be charged by the glass given we only had one each. The waitress replied that they only do unlimited drinks and it was already entered in the system. OK; it would have been nice if the waitress had made that clear when we asked for «a glass of sangria» and not «we’ll do the unlimited sangria.» I countered with a very reasonable request to void one of the two charges so we were still paying 19 $ for two glasses of sangria. A fair compromise. She declined – «it can’t be voided.» Apparently only a manager can void items, so I asked for a manager. She informed that there was no manager present. How can you not have a manager available?!
Great food but I do not appreciate being ripped off; I will not return due to the service.

FYI they increased their bottomless brunch price! It’s now $ 19 for 90 minutes unlimited mimosas or sangrias, NOT $ 12 for 2 hours. Also you can’t switch between the two. If you choose mimosas, you have to stick to that for the rest of your meal. (Luckily, my friend had ordered the mimosa and I ordered the sangria so we just took sips of each other’s.)
For my brunch entrée, I got the ostrich mini burgers. They were very flavorful and filling, but honestly I only got that to be able to say that I’ve tried ostrich. I didn’t think it tasted that distinct — kinda reminded me of a lamb burger.
We ordered a side of potatoes for the table and they also give you free cornbread at the start of your meal. The food was pleasant but I just felt a bit cheated because they had just increased the bottomless brunch price. And this is not reflected on their online menus yet!
3 stars because it’s a good brunch place, but there are cheaper places for bottomless brunch so I wouldn’t come back here.

Had brunch there today. Great drinks, lackluster service and it wasn’t that busy. Once the music came on, it was entirely too loud. Servers seemed a little understaffed and VERY distracted. My friend bought the unlimited mimosas and in 90 minutes, she only got 2 refills. Not good enough for $ 20.
Food was good but not hot. All in all, won’t be returning.

Really great hole in the wall for something different. My bf and I did the tapas special (5 for $ 42), each had a glass of pinotage and added a goat cheese and mango salad, a side of coconut truffle pap and a side of chakalaka. At the end of the meal we ranked the dishes:
1) octopus-​so tender and the tangy BBQ sauce complimented really well
2) tie for chakalaka (which is kind of like stewed vegetables, very mild spiciness, I thought it had the perfect level of heat) and the ostrich sliders (mildly spicy sauce and peppered onions)
4) goat cheese and mango salad, the mango was sliced paper thin and was really delightful
5) peri peri wings– good crunch on the wings and the peri peri is a fun flavor
6) pap– a bit too salty and no coconut flavor
7) lamb chops –dry but the sauce was the same as on the octopus and quite tasty
8) biltong bruschetta –tasted like beef jerky on a baguette slathered with spaghettio sauce (sweet tomato sauce)
We will def go back and try the entrees and desserts!

Brunch with the option of $ 12 unlimited mimosas is pretty much guaranteed to be a win. Because even though it’s considered bad form to drink a lot before noon, that rule doesn’t apply to Sundays. I think it says that somewhere in the Bible. Obviously, the mimosas were not very strong, and I would have liked the option to choose which variety of «exotic juice» I got. On top of that, the service was kind of iffy, which may have been by design, but I still had like six glasses I think?
One shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach, so I ordered the «vertkoek met mince,» which basically equaled a South African sloppy joe. I highly recommend it. Flavorful meat with what seemed to be bits of carrot tucked inside an excellent warm and soft bun.
Summary: Drunk and sloppy.

I’ve been to Braai for brunch five times now and it’s become one of my favorite brunch spots. I haven’t yet been for dinner (mainly because I love the brunch so much! But I’ll have to give their dinner menu a try sometime)
The noise level and crowd factor has varied — some of the days I’ve gone it’s been quiet with not so many people, while other times it’s been packed (and obviously louder as a result). It’s a really chill, comfortable atmosphere either way, though. I’ve always made a reservation beforehand, so I definitely recommend doing the same!
Their bottomless brunch special is a great deal, only $ 12 per person for «exotic fruit mimosas» (I’m not entirely sure what fruit (s) they are, but they’re delicious, and I prefer them to regular mimosas) added on to your total with a 2-​hour limit, and the staff is constantly coming by to refill your glasses, even when they aren’t empty (sometimes when they’re not even close to empty!) The only downside is that if you want just one drink (which is what I did at one point) it costs the same price, which is disappointing, but if that’s the case and you’re with other people who are doing the unlimited mimosas, I’d just have one of theirs at some point during the time you’re there.
The food is AMAZING — everything I’ve had there is delicious. I’ve had the Huguenot French toast twice and it’s delicious (although last time I had it, I felt like it was a bit heavy on the syrup, so next time I get it I’m planning to ask for syrup on the side). I had the Biltong mac and cheese once, which was great as well (it does have beef shavings on top — advising this for those of you who are vegetarian — so if you’d like the mac and cheese, I’d ask if it were possible to have it without the beef). The lump crab eggs benedict and egg in the hole (and the chakalaka on the side!) were also both really yummy. One of my friends got the flapjacks and shared some with me, and those were beyond amazing — probably my favorite thing that I’ve had there so far, and I’m definitely planning to order those next time I go. I’ve also tried some of my friends’ fried chicken and miele pap, which was also really good, but just a heads up — the chicken piece they give is huge! I have yet to try the ostrich, but I’ll probably try it on the eggs benedict at some point.
The one thing that I’d advise is that if you’re paying either fully or partially in cash, be sure to ask for change, because one time when my friends and I went there, we were planning to use the change that came back as our tip, but we got nothing back, meaning they just assumed that the rest was the tip. So when you pay, always be sure to say you’d like change back (unless, of course, you do happen to be including the tip in the full amount that you give).
Overall, Braai is a great food place with a nice atmosphere, and a great place to go for groups as well (I’ve been there with as many as 7 people, and seen people with even larger parties) so I highly recommend it! I also love the mini muffins they put out before they serve your main meals, which come with butter and orange marmalade. :)

Have you ever had African food? I hadn’t!
Very cool space, good food, great presentation.

Stopped here with my wife excited to eat some South African food. She is South African, I have visited there multiple times with her, and she was super excited to have a taste of home. Some of the items on the menu sounded authentic while others really didn’t have much to do with South Africa at all. As soon as we tried to order the excitement ended. Multiple items on the menu were not available and it was not particularly late so I doubt they ran out that day, especially since it wasn’t busy at all. This would bother me at any restaurant but it was even more bothersome here because everything my wife ordered, which were the more authentic items on the menu, were the items they did not have. They were out of at least three items on the menu. She ended up having to piece together a meal of various items from different listings. She ordered pap, chakalaka, biltong, and lamb chops and I ordered the lamb bunny chow. The pap (a type of cornmeal porrige) which is typically made from white cornmeal was made from yellow cornmeal here. It was also very soft and somewhat runny almost when typically in South Africa it is quite firm. The chakalaka was closer to authentic than the pap but seemed heavy on the onions. The biltong by itself, basically South African jerky, was pretty good and tasted authentic. Now the lamb chops were good and while lamb, or mutton, is commonly eaten in South Africa I can’t speak for the authenticity of the preparation method. The lamb bunny chow, which is lamb curry served in a hollowed out quarter loaf of white bread was pretty good and while maybe not typically served in grilled/​toasted bread in South Africa and certainly not enough curry flavor, I still enjoyed it. For dessert, we ordered the koeksisters and although I have never eaten it before my wife stated that it did not at all taste like what she expected. She said it should be more like a donut. It reminded me of the mildly sweet dessert breads of Finland and I liked it quite a lot. It was served on top of ice cream.
The wine list at Braai does consist of all South African wines and we enjoyed a bottle of mourvedre with our dinner. Afterwards we enjoyed some Amarula, which is a South African cream liqueur. They also have selection of beers but none from South Africa. I drank a Tusker beer which I believe is from Kenya.
The service definitely left a lot to be desired. Our server was nice when we spoke to him and while he was at our table we enjoyed talking to him. However, he payed us little attention after he left and never checked up on us. I had to stand up three times and walk over to him to order dessert or more drinks. The atmosphere is nice with a dim lighting and candles on all the tables. There was South African music playing and the volume was perfect so that the music could be enjoyed without interfering with conversation.
If I was to rate this restaurant strictly on the food, not on what it was supposed to be but how it tasted, I would give them a higher rating. But since they advertise themselves as a South African restaurant the lack of authenticity is a problem. Also the fact that multiple items were missing from their menu means its time for a menu change. And the subpar service is also an issue. I wanted to like the restaurant and honestly enjoyed the food and drinks but there were just too many other strikes against them.

My last meal in NYC was such a disappointment mostly because of the terrible service. I thought New York restaurants want you in and out? Apparently this isn’t the case at Braai.
Came here for brunch right when they opened. I’m not sure why the service was so slow, when they weren’t very busy. I ordered the «Huguenot Toast» aka French toast for brunch. It took a good 30 – 40 minutes before it came out and it was cold. For $ 12 this was also the smallest portion of French toast that I’ve ever been served. The bread must be tiny! They were also quite stingy on the rooibos syrup.
Lastly, they advertise that this dish comes with fresh fruit. Well, I sorta expected something more substantial than 2 strawberries (sliced thinly) and 5 blueberries.
I’m not a big eater by an means, so I was disappointed and left hungry. What irked me the most about Braai was how difficult it was to grab someone’s attention. They just kind of looked at you, went back to doing what they were doing, and if you were lucky, come over 5 minutes later.

Was disappointed to see that Xai Xai closed, but heard Braai was the same owner and decided to give it a try. Pleased to see that Braai has some of the same menu items and the same vibe.
No, I’m not S African, so I didn’t test the clearly Italian waiter on S African phrases or sides (who does that?!) but if you’re looking for something different in a great ambiance, give it a try! It has S African décor, dim lighting and soft S African music playing in the background.
It’s sooooo hard to find places that serve good S African wine full stop and I would come back just for their wine list. LOVE the shirazes.

Great experience here! I came for their awesome boozy brunch deal, which is bottomless «exotic-​fruit mimosas» for $ 12 on top of your meal. Can’t beat that! The ostrich burgers were insanely delicious, I highly recommend. There are only two sliders and a mini side salad, so not terribly filling but totally worth it. The fruit mimosas (peachy flavor) were good in the beginning but got progressively more juice heavy. Not the end of the world though.
Braai is South African food and the atmosphere reflected a South African theme. It was a cozy, dimly lit space with African music playing in the background. A super unique experience in general, really glad we tried it out!

So let me start off by saying that I am South African and had great expectations when making this reservation. Firstly no South African atmosphere, no South African music even playing :-(I went to Springboks in Houston and they at least had the South African flag and all the South African rugby memorabilia. Then none of the waiters were South African so nobody even noticed that I was South African. In Houston it felt great when my accent was recognized by a fellow South African.
So I understand it’s probably difficult to get South African waiters, but when I ordered the boerewors and the waiter referred to it as sausage :-(then I asked if there was smoortjie over the pap and she was clueless and said there wasn’t.
But when it arrived there was a type of smoortjie, but it had balsamic vinegar all over ot, which spoiled it. Secondly, the boerewors missed the mark completely. Very, very bland. Not enough spice and very fresh ito salt, etc.
Then I had the koeksisters for dessert … Naai man, daai us nie Koeksisters nie :-(Ek verstaan due ingredients is verskillend, maar … naai man …
So quite a disappointing experience.
I’m disappointed because I really wanted to give my fellow countrymen 5 stars, but unfortunately I just cannot :-(

My boyfriend and I are locals but ended up in this touristy area of the city and were surrounded by restaurants that are supposed to be great, but had no reservations on a Friday night. So, we decided to give Braai a try, as we figured we would get a table, and we were super curious to try South African tapas. From the beginning, the hostess was honestly a complete mess. I’m not sure if it was a language barrier issue or if she was just a little off her game. There was a table open, but she led us to one bar stool to sit down (there are two of us), and told us we would move when a table was open. We kept pointing at said open table, and she was confused, saying what? No, sit here, you move when the next table leaves. Whatever, no big deal. We sit down, I order a drink. 5 minutes later she shows us to the table I was pointing at and says ohhh ok you sit there. We carry our stuff to that table. She hands us a cocktail menu, I ask where the beer list is. She points to the cocktail menu and says yes, beer there. I think, I must be crazy, because although it’s hand written and complicated, I see no beers. She returns, we tell her there is no beer on that list. She says OHH beer’s over there– and points to a row of beer bottles on the bar like 20 feet away. So my boyfriend squints, trying to make out the brand names to order one. I’m not even sure how patrons at the back of the restaurant would know the beer selection. I ordered a Lychee cocktail and quite honestly it was one of the worst drinks I’ve had in NYC. I don’t think there was a bartender on this night, and that the waiters were making their own drinks.
Onto the food, we ordered the 5 tapas dishes for $ 42. We chose the ostrich sliders, the lamb shank empanadas, truffle mac and cheese, grilled lamb chops, and the peri peri wings. The good: lamb shank empanadas, grilled lamb chops, ostrich sliders. The «truffle» mac and cheese did not taste of truffle, and had some dehydrated sausages on top that were gross to look at. My boyfriend really enjoyed the ostrich sliders, I thought they were eh. I don’t think they would be anything special if they weren’t ostrich. One of my peri peri wings was so bloody inside I couldn’t eat another one. Messing up wings is not easy, guys. All in all, it’s a great deal for the money but the food and drinks totally miss the mark, and there’s not the redeeming service to save them. Our waitress was very nice though, and we love the South African concept; just wish it was executed better.

Outstanding dinner. The prawns and chakalaka was very good and spicey. The ostrich sliders tasted great as well.
Khaled is an outstanding server and made the meal even more enjoyable.

So we decided to walk around the neighborhood while waiting to be seated for Ippudo. Then we saw this little restaurant with a very flavorful menu outside, and we decided to give it a try!
I ordered steak and eggs for $ 16 and it was a great price for brunch. The portion was not small at all, and the meat was good. My boyfriend ordered some kind of ostrich burger? He said it was not bad, even though he wished he could taste the ostrich a bit more.
We really enjoyed the food, especially the octopus! I had never had any grilled octopus that was so soft before. And the sauce was just simply amazing.
The reason why I may not go back is that the place was so noisy and I almost couldn’t tolerate it at first, but then some people left so it turned out okay for me to stay. Nice decorations though.

I enjoyed a nice glass of pinotage here over the holidays so I was looking forward to trying their menu. What a disappointment! Everything, in particular the ostrich was bland. The service was mediocre at best.

Food was ridiculously delicious, service was good, bottom-​less mimosas were the cherry on top.

I have been to this place so many times. I must say it’s been quite a favorite casual dinner spot.
The selection of wines are exquisite, I suggest for the selection of Pinor Noir.
Food, yum! Delish!!! Try the platter of Tapas for $ 40 and you’re in for a treat!
Also if you are looking for a place to impress your date, a little intimate with candles and not trying hard so much, this I recommend.
Sundays, have brunch here and enjoy the unlimited mixed cocktails for like $ 20 or less…
I held 2 birthday parties here and attended 3. That would say a lot for Braai.
Try it!

The branzino special was overcooked and did not taste fresh, and the broccoli rabe was mushy. Not a good value for the price, but worked for a quick pre-​theatre meal. Staff were helpful and efficient, but then the place was not busy at all. I thought a South African restaurant would know how to do fish, but maybe it’s not their strength. I might return to try the barbecue or ostrich though.

Hiere Piet– just because they play South African music doesn’t make this a South African restaurant. The chicken bobotie was minced chicken with tomato sauce on top, the chicken curry with nan was like Thai soup and the nan was pita. This place is a scam. Don’t believe the hype go to madiba if you want real, authentic South African kos. Take it from me I’m South African.

Stopped here with friends on a whim before going to see the NY Philharmonic!
I love the ambiance of this restaurant; the candles and the dim lighting were really beautiful, as was the distressed wood floors. This would be an awesome place for a date.
That being said, service was quite slow and did not feel very attentive, despite coming in at an off-​hour and only seeing one or two other tables seated with customers.
I enjoyed trying South African food, though! I’m not sure how authentic it was, but I enjoyed the chicken bobotie (it was pretty much chicken meatloaf), and the oxtail (perfectly cooked). I’d advise skipping the prawns peri-​peri because it was a bit overcooked.

Im so happy my friend introduced me to this place yesterday — she refused to go anywhere else and said she wants their awesome lamb chops. They were beyond our expectations. Guess what? I am back today with my boyfriend and we both are really happy with the food!

Braai is a south african restaurant where we tried the brunch and loved it! Was I extremely satisfied with the food?- well not indeed. But the overall experience and especially exotic fruit champagne for sure made it up for us. It was quite pricy as any other brunch place in NY, so be ready 4 it. Try to give yourself sometime to enjoy limitless champagne!

Food was very good; chicken curry and babotie were delicious, as was melktert.
Biltong was disappointing.

I went there 3 months ago excited to try out South African cuisine. The place has weird hours maybe because it’s located at the theater district. Finally, found a day to eat dinner at the place on the day it was open for business :)
We ordered the mixed platter as per their recommendation — Ostrich Sliders, Crab Cakes, Mac N Cheese, Lamb Empanadas, & Grilled Octopus. Everything we ordered was undoubtedly delicious, but I was a little confused while eating (yes) as to what really was so South African about the platter we ordered. Yes, I am being ignorant here but when asked for recommendations for typical South African food, I am not expecting sliders, empanadas or mac & cheese.
I understand that South African cuisine is influenced by a lot of different cultures but I know now that I will need to educate myself before my next adventure.
Recommendation: If you are not feeling South African cuisine and want to be safe & stay close to home, I recommend «The Platter»

This is the first time I have tried South African cuisine and I will tell you that it was a flavor explosion throughout the entire meal. Me and my friend ordered the rainbow tapas pick five for $ 42 which is a great deal for all the food we got especially the quality. The ostrich sliders were cooked a perfect medium rare with grilled onions and spicy aeoli. The truffle Mac and Cheese had a crunchy crust yet creamy and earthy. The lamb chops were bursting with flavor and very tender. The meatballs had layers of spice and were delectable. Finally, fried potato pockets were crispy and yummy. All in all, I’m happy that we came to Braai and hope to return sometime in the future

Service was great & the atmosphere was chill with a rugged Architectural Digest feel. Came here for brunch with a friend and the while the bottomless mimosas were what lured us to this place, the food was nothing short of bliss! Let’s just say dopamine levels were surging!

I came here for my birthday brunch, and I was excited to try their South African take on traditional brunch items.
The experience was decent in terms of food and service. My party arrived at 11, so it was definitely still early. We were the only ones in the restaurant for a bit, and it seemed like they were still cleaning up from the previous night. Also, I think we were being waited on by someone on the prep staff at first, so he was a bit unaware when it came to the menu.
When it came time for ordering, I got the S’African Brekkie, which is apparently their take on the traditional English breakfast. It comes with eggs your way, boerewors sausage, breakfast hash, grilled tomato, onions, and toast. The meal was filling yet wasn’t particularly outstanding. My scrambled eggs were a bit watery and the sausage (perhaps it’s just this type of sausage) was really dry. Also, the presentation left much to be desired as the food was somewhat shoveled on only one side of the plate. I was left filled, but my taste buds weren’t given the adventure they were hoping for. Similarly, my friend was disappointed with her eggs benedict when the eggs were fried instead of poached.
With regards to service, the waiters were very attentive with the refilling our (note: very affordable) brunch drinks, and, for the surprise birthday cake my friends brought, they even put on a special song for me on the stereo. Ambience, as well, was pretty good. There are a mix of high and low tables, and the restaurant has a distinct rustic feel.
Overall, a decent brunch place in terms of price but the food could be tightened up a bit to improve.

I’ve never been to a South African spot before, so I was really pumped when I found out my friend’s birthday dinner was going to be here. I got even more excited when I saw the diverse protein options available, and even a couple of new ones I hadn’t tried before (ostrich and venison). It’s listed the the African Road Runner on their menu and it’s an ostrich steak. It looked and tasted much like a regular steak so I was kind of surprised. It was also a tad overcooked, but can totally overlook that because it was still good despite that.
The grilled octopus was delicious, but definitely can’t compare to really well done octopus at a Greek spot. Chicken wings and skirt steak were average, and I only ordered the venison carpacio because a) I’ve never had venison before, and b) Had no idea what the heck carpacio is. It was like really thinly sliced pieces of meat, almost like an extra thing cold cut or smoked salmon. The venison pieces had next to no flavor to them, so I was really just tasting the greens from the salad bed. The lamb sliders were also really solid.
We got a few chocolate mud huts for dessert, and they were superrrrrrr chocolatey and yummy! I giggled a bit because it sounds like a dirty name for something, but that’s just the 5-​year old in me.
The restaurant itself isn’t very large and it can be tricky to find it you don’t keep your eye out for it. The staff was really good and even gave our group of 12 free glasses of rose to end the meal!

I just had such an unbelievably bad and bizarre experience here that I had to leave early AND write a review.
My friend and I walked in to have drinks at the bar while we waited for dinner at Ippudo, something we’ve done before, and were immediately treated with hostility. We were told there were no bar stools for us (even though there were two at a nearby empty high-​top table) but MAYBE we could just stand at the bar. Fine, whatever.
We go to the bar and order an Old Fashioned and a glass of champagne. The bartender or whatever his job was starts making all kinds of face contortions at us, saying he’s SO busy, but he manages to prepare the drinks despite his overwhelming attitude. The Old Fashioned was bland, and when they dropped off the champagne, we were told it was «questionable.» And by questionable, they meant completely flat. Why would you ever serve someone «questionable» champagne??? It had to be returned and replaced with a glass from a new bottle.
After the Old Fashioned, my friend decided to switch to a Zulu Mint Julep (the name is important here). The first round of drinks took a while, but this drink seemed to take one million years to arrive. And that’s because the waitress (different from the original guy) put in an order for the Zulu Mud Hut instead — which is a molten chocolate cake. I’m not sure why she thought that’s what we wanted since we had the cocktail menu in front of us and CLEARLY pointed to the drink in question. When the cake arrived, we cleared up the mistake — but then they (a) took the cake away to be THROWN OUT and (b) all the staff disappeared and didn’t bother to make the drink or anything. First of all, why not leave the dessert with us — particularly rather than throw it away? Second, why in the world wouldn’t you offer to do anything to rectify the situation — LIKE MAKE THE DRINK THAT WAS ORDERED???
At that point, we really just wanted to pay and leave, since the bar area was deserted and the drink was clearly never going to be made. It took another five minutes for anyone to come back and let us pay, and when we asked that the dessert was taken off of our bill, the first bartender guy snapped at us, saying «Yeah, I know,» and gave us a HUGE eye roll.
I’m sorry, but we were really low maintenance patrons, ordering drinks and asking for literally nothing else. Plus, restaurants make most of their money on alcohol — so why not treat us with a modicum of respect and just let us drink??? Total insanity…

Order delivery for work. Splurge lunch with that pricing. But had a hankering for African cuisine, and the menu looked good.
They sure delivered (see what I did there?! :-)!
The deviled chicken livers were good. Not as spicy as I would have liked, but full of flavor.
The Venison Stew!!! Dude… would have planted my face in the container had I been able to fit it up in there.
Only real qualm is that the portions were rather meager for the price, even with the cost of venison. But would not stop me from dining in or ordering out again!

My sister and I were born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa but now call the US home. That being said, we know South African food. We were in NYC last weekend for a fun sibling weekend and my sister told me she’d heard about Braai. Missing «home» daily, we couldn’t resist the temptation to stop in and grab some good food.
When we arrived on Saturday night for our reservation we were seated immediately at a small table. The place was relatively busy but then again there is really only 10 – 15 tables. The couple sitting next to us were talking and one of them had the unmistakable accent of a South African. We were in the right place…
The waitress arrived and we ordered two glasses of South African white wine. While perusing the menu, I saw something that quite frankly angered me. The South African flag in the kitchen area was UPSIDE DOWN. When asked, the waitress stated that the owners were South African and that they were doing some remodeling near the kitchen area and the flag was taken down from one wall and moved to another wall incorrectly. Okay… okay…but still. As someone who has the South African flag tattooed on my calf I wasn’t please to see it upside down. The waitress said she’d correct it at the end of the night.
As for the food, we decided to go with the South African tapas to try a few different dishes. We ordered the lamb chops, the meatballs with «Soweto» sauce, the Boerewors and pap, and the chicken sosatie. We then got a side of roasted potatoes and «slap» chips. This ended up being the perfect amount of food for two people however we could have done without one of the sides.
The food arrived relatively quickly and as a whole it didn’t disappoint. I would rank the 4 options as follows:
1. The lamb chops. Delicious! There is no other way of describing it. They were tender, flavorful, and I could have eaten 10 more of them.
2. The sosatie. A sosatie is a kebab. This one was quite delicious… but the dish only came with one. I was hoping for at least one more. The chicken was moist and flavorful and I could have eaten a lot more of them.
3. The meatballs. Overall they were really good meatballs but I have no clue what the «Soweto» sauce was. I don’t remember that at all from my childhood and it could have been plain marinara sauce for all I know. But it was good.
4. The Boerewors and pap. Boerewors is typically a lightly spiced pork and lamb sausage. When you bite into it the skin on the sausage should making a cracking noise. This sausage didn’t do that. The meat was quite tasty but it was lacking the spice I was expecting. As for pap, it is a corn meal dish similar in consistency to grits or mashed potatoes. Braai’s pap was made with polenta. It was okay… but not traditional. This option wasn’t bad. Rather it just didn’t live up to my expectations. We have a great Boerewors place in Chicago so I guess I’m spoiled.
The roasted potatoes and «slap» chips were pretty good. «Slap» chips are really soft/​soggy fries accompanied by vinegar. Yum!
We had started talking to another couple next to us and they too were South African. We decided to stick around for dessert and ordered one slice of the melktert (milk tart) and one slice of the malva pudding. We wanted Koeksisters but they ran out earlier in the night. This was almost as sad as the upside down flag as Koeksisters are delicious… However both the desserts we ordered were great. While chatting with the couple from South Africa, the waitress brought over to our tables shots of Amarula on the house. Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa. How to keep a South African happy… feed them good food and great drinks!
All in all, this place is quite good. The food was well cooked but a few of the items could be a little more authentic. The service was excellent and I would definitely return the next time I’m in New York. That flag better be fixed though. Remember… red on top! 4 stars.

For this year’s secret santa extravaganza, my friends and I wanted a boozy brunch. And since Braai has been on my Unilocal bookmarks list for a while, and none of us have ever tried South African cuisine before, this place was perfect!
We made a reservation for 12:30 on a Saturday. It wasn’t packed but all the tables seem to be filled, so it’s probably safe to make a resso (plus, they’re on Open Table, so why not!)
To start, we did the unlimited mimosas. Don’t let the online menu with «exotic mimosas» fool you. The only flavor they had that day was peach, so it almost tasted like a bellini. It wasn’t bad but it would not have been my first choice. And if you’re wondering, Braai isn’t one of those places that try to G you with the unlimited drinks aspect. Your glass is never empty. Even after we paid the bill, they gave us a refill — which, I don’t think has ever happened before with any other place.
But onto the food — I wanted to try something different, so the ostrich stood out to me. I went for the ostrich eggs benedict and right after my first bite, I wish I hadn’t. I didn’t like it. It was dry. It was half the size of the English muffin it came on top of, so it was deffo not enough bird to go around. It also tasted like lamb, so I’m not even sure if it was ostrich or not — since I’ve never even tried ostrich before, I have nothing to compare it to.
I should also mention that their online menu mentions that the ostrich benedict is sliced ostrich, but it wasn’t. It was just ground ostrich, so it was pretty much the same thing as my friend’s ostrich sliders.
I probably would not come back but trying «ostrich» for the first time was pretty interesting. But if you’re looking more for a boozy brunch and don’t really care about the food, this is it baby.