Spur Tree

I visited this restaurant over the weekend for my birthday dinner. When I walked in i was greeted by the waitress at the bar and she asked how many? I told her party of two she stated it would be awhile for a table which was fine. My boyfriend had reservations and we told the waitress and were seated immediately. The space is quaint and it reminded me of being in Jamaica listening to reggae music in a bar on the beach. The waitress came over to take our orders i wanted the conch fritters for appetizer and jerk lamp chops for entrée to my surprise they were out of both dishes I was shocked because it was only 10pm and my boyfriend was highly upset because he do not have a laid back demeanor like I do. The owner of the restaurant came to our table to greet us and we immediately let him know how disappointed we were that the food we wanted was all out at 10pm. He apologized repeatedly and informed us that his inventory did not make it in on saturday morning and suggested another dish for us to try we had ackee and codfish brusetta, grill salmon with spicy jerk sauce. Let me say that both dishes were so delicious I completed the whole meal in entirety which is very rare for me. The owner constantly asked us if everything was to our liking and the staff was attentive as well. After dinner and dessert we ventured upstairs to the lounge which was cozy and intimate. The dj was spinning music which i love so yes i danced it wasn’t crowded upstairs but that was fine with me I had another cocktail (3^rd one by the way) which was great as well. All in all spur tree is a good restaurant the food is delicious and tasty and the night turned out great for me. I think it had a lot to do with the attitude of the owner who was so professional, courteous and attentive I will definitely go back in the summer and order the lamb chops once again LOL…

2 stars because the music was great, but the service was horrible. By 9pm they were out of half the menu and the food took a hour and a half to come out. The sides that were ordered were missing and when questioned about the missing food the waitress said they were out, maybe I’m expecting too much but at some point within the 1.5 hour wait should that not been communicated? I really wanted to like the place because the music and venue itself were nice, but I can’t excuse the service and food wait. Unless there are drastic changes in food service and better trained staff, unfortunately I will not be returning.

Horrible service. Mediocre food. Nice music.
I went there for a birthday party on a Friday night and I will never return. The restaurant’s appearance is cute but the food and service was very disappointing. I sat down around 8 pm and didn’t get my drink until 8:30ish. Actually a number of us ordered Ting sodas and one of the restaurant’s employee had to go out to purchase them.
The wait for the appetizers was also very long. The presentation was nice, the portions were ok, and the flavor was decent. However, if you don’t like spicy food just keep in mind that most of the things are spicy.
We placed our orders and waited for an hour for the food to come out. The food was cold. I didn’t understand why a veggie burger with vegan cheese took so long to cook. Everyone else’s food was cold also. The burger wasn’t anything special. The ribs were not great. The plantains were also disappointing. After waiting for 2 hours to eat I was expecting something incredible but that was not the case.
Someone in our table asked the waitress why it was taking so long and she was very rude. She said and I quote, «this isn’t a fast food restaurant» and that the «restaurant has been in business for 10 years. This is completely unacceptable. There is no reason with so much competition to be so nasty to your customers, especially when the bill was over $ 600 dollars. Whether someone spends $ 5 dollars in your establishment or $ 1,000 everyone should be treated with respect.
They bring a piece of cake out with no candle. We sang happy birthday twice because the birthday girl had no candle to blow.
Honestly, this experience was disappointing from beginning to end. There are too many amazing places in the city with much better food and much better service to go here. Save your time and money go somewhere else.

Will not be coming back my food was so spicy the seating was uncomfortable it was so loud we had reservation but waited an hour just horrible there

Came here the other night for dinner with a friend and really enjoyed it! We split the combo platter appetizer and each had our own order of tacos. I had jerk chicken tacos they were DELICIOUS although pretty spicy. Combo platter was also excellent.
Really nice staff, great vibe, good music played by the upstairs DJ. Can see how this would also turn into a fun bar later at night. We left around 11 and it was starting to really fill up.
Would definitely recommend and return!

I happened to find this place by accident on a saturday night and I’m glad I did. I love Caribbean food and having this place in my neighborhood was a blessing. First, Maurel (hopefully I spelled that correctly) welcomed me like I was a regular and was completely attentive to me. Even other employees caught me looking around and were quick to offer thier help. I had the stew chicken a typical west indian dish which they hit on the mark. There seems to be some asian influences in the dish which appealed to my palette. The décor is nice and real chill. The music selection is a roundabout of dancehall, culture, and reggae tunes… I got excited when they played Mr. Loverman by Shabba Ranks, a song I haven’t heard in YEARS. All on all I’ll be back again. Definetely recomend, why not five stars? Simply because I want to try more dishes before I fully commit to that least start, but I’m sure I’ll be giving it to them

This was probably my least favorite restaurant experience, I would not recommend you go here if you have a large group because it’s just too cramped. I went with a group of about 13 – 15 people and they were about to not seat us because they had another large group to accommodate, & as we were about to leave they let us sit anyway. As we were seated one of the waitresses «warned us» that they expected a group to be there later on so when the food came we had to make sure we didn’t just hang around. I know damn well if we’re were a group of adults she would not dare say something like that. This was very unprofessional to me; if you cannot accommodate my friends and I, don’t bother to have us there at all because we were ready to find somewhere else to eat anyway, and even though we’re a group of teens, at the end of the day we’re paying for you to serve us and we deserve the same service as anyone else. On top of that the food took long to come and when it did come the portions were very small and the food was tasteless, and I personally feel like they did that for spite to get us out faster, especially because one of my friends of the group ate here before and she even said the portions were much smaller than last time. So, never again will I eat here.

Good drinks, Thee worst service!!! Came in tonight for dinner and drinks it literally took an hour and a half for my appetizer to come out 2 drinks later im still waiting for my entrée which i ordered at the same time as my appetizer, No entrée 2 hours later! I ask the waitress she assures me its coming, my side then follows but my main courese the Salmon is no where in sight!!! Will Not be coming back to this establishment!

I have never had so many things go wrong in one meal before.
After ordering dinner, our waitress forgot to put the order in and did not realize for about 30 minutes, then finally brought out our food with several items missing (only to inform us they had run out). When clearing our meal, the server dropped all of the dirty utensils and food into my bag, and then proceeded to take another 30 minutes to bring our check. When the check arrived, all of the items we had ordered but they had run out of were still on the check. It took them an additional 20 minutes to adjust the bill to the correct amount. It is understandable that mistakes happen, but throughout the whole meal, we did not receive one apology for the wait and many mistakes.
The flavors in the dishes were good, but the meal ended up giving me food poisoning. I would not recommend Spur Tree and I will not be back.

I’ve been a fan of this place for years… Even when it was located a few stores up the block. The ambience is cozy, the music is great and the food is delish. Portion sizes are modest– you will not be taking leftovers home. I’ve had the jerk chicken and the salmon and have always been content.
Owner/​manager is very hands on and always present making sure customers are being tended to. On a good night, you’ll catch a live DJ. Overall, this is one of top 3 fave spots in the city– a hip Caribbean gem that’s never too crowded and always just right.

I came here and had the goat meat plate. The meal was amazing. The reason I gave a 4 start is because I literally waited 45 minutes for my good food. Don’t get me wrong though the service was amazing, the kitchen was just naked l backed up.

My experience there was nothing but GREAT! This is definitely a must go spot to eat. Plus the price is right.

Good jamaican food– hard to find in NYC– get your jerk chicken (which is NOT that spicy if you can handle spicy) and brown stew chicken here. mixed drinks were made super strong the last time I was here. nice to eat al fresco with out door seating.

This is NYs best kept secret jamaican restaurant in Manhattan. I enjoyed my organic curry chicken, that was very well seasoned and the salmon had the right spices! You can tell the cooks in the kitchen are actual jamaican and they add their flavors and spices. Very authentic cuisine with a touch of fusion and absolutely tasty. This place beats Negrils and Ms. Lillys hands down, however Lillys do have better sorrel martinis, nevertheless the food is great.
Now as for décor, the furnishing could use a little updating. I understand they are going for that caribbean shack/​bungalow that you find off the road in the Caribbean to relate to its authentic décor, however could be more innovative and bring a little modernization to the tables, chairs and mostly the upstairs long couch.
Either way, this place still has a nice vibe and I would be back.

Do not even deserve one star. I went there with friends with a reservation for 8:30pm. At 11 pm our table was not even ready, finally we order and it took another hour to be serve some basic stew like oxtail stew with a ball of rice and some banana plantain, we are not talking about fancy cuisine here. And I know about Jamaican, half of my family are from there!
The staff is zero professional, the food is overprice for what it is.
Again the food is not interesting at all. I even suspect the patty and dumpling were frozen.
We left with a bad experience and regreted to have been there in the first place.

I’ve been to the the old location so I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the new location at 74 orchard. Recently added a dancing loft space for parties and the space was probably a good 3 feet wider.
Positives — food was as good as always. Great music and vibe
Negative– the wait for our food once we ordered was ridiculous. Also they don’t seem to be great at handling multiple parties. They might need to get a kitchen manager to make sure all their customers are being served in a timely way

Went for Sunday brunch. The banana pancakes were delicious just wish it was served in a bigger portion. Cheesecake dessert was good too but wish it was a larger serving size. The dinner menu looked really good and I definitely want to come back to try the seafood roti. Overall nice ambiance, the owner and waitress were very nice. Our food took a while so they gave us complimentary cocktails as we waited which was a nice touch. Would come back for dinner but not brunch because of the portions. Not too many Jamaican restaurants in Manhattan so I have to give this place another try.

Brunch was good on a Sunday. The plates needed more quantity but the quality was good. Food took a while to come. It was definitely made to order. Would come back, decent price good music atmosphere.

This would be my second time inviting friends to eat at this restaurant. The first time (on a Sunday) I came and ate here it was with friends from out of town, and the service was ridiculously slow when it was only three other people seated in the restaurant. It took the waiter 40 minutes to place our order, 30 minutes to bring the food, and another 30 when we were done for them to bring the check. The food was amazing, but unfortunately the service was inefficient and unacceptable.
The second time I ate at this restaurant was on a Friday night. There were very few people seated to eat, but they refused to sit us in a warm area which we requested. They had a full staff that was standing at the bar having drinks laughing, talking, and ignoring the clients. It took us 45 minutes for our waiter to take our order. Another 30 minutes for them to bring our order. During the time we were eating our food no one checked on us, refilled our waters, or asked us how was everything. Funny enough three different people asked if we were done and ready to pay. Although the food was delicious we were so livid due to the poor service, and disrespect.
If at all possible I would give this restaurant zero stars. What’s the point of having great food and a staff that sits around and want to sing, make derogatory jokes at the bar and neglects their clients. I expect better especially when you’re in the best city in the entire world.
Get it together!

I’m so sorry spur tree, you tried super hard and your waitstaff is sweet and apologized for everything, but worst brunch ever. Apparently the chef didn’t show up and I have no idea who was cooking back there. The food was cold, the omelette didn’t have anything in it but eggs, nothing came out at a reasonable pace, forgot to bring out some things we ordered. They gave us free round of drinks dessert which my friends enjoyed but I just wanted breakfast.
We sent back some food but still ended up paying for stuff we didn’t eat.
And to be fair it’s definitely one of the first times they have served brunch. I’ve heard they have amazing dinner and I believe it. But this brunch truly sucked.

I came by on a Tuesday night because my sister’s friend invited her to «One Love Tuesdays,» reggae party.
The space itself is a bit narrow, but cozy as is the top floor. The top floor is cool because it’s like a little hideaway, bungalow where you can just relax, listen to some great music, turn down or turn up a little bit. The crowd was diverse and filled with laid back, unpretentious, professionals there to have a little fun and socialize on week night. Just my kind of vibe.
The drinks were strong and one drink in particular is quite the show at the bar: The Brown Sugar Cocktail. It’s a fruity, spirited cocktail to the tune of rum and pineapple … set on fire. If you want a great video or photogenic drink. this would be the one. And it’s tasty too. (Not too sweet at all!)
Definitely a good look if you’re in the mood to kick back, relax and enjoy a cocktail.

My three stars are for the delicious, yummy, «I can eat this on a daily basis“food!
Our waitress was very nice.
However, I was pretty put off by the hostess who seated us in high traffic area next to the bar, constantly getting walked and banged into. Despite us vocally expressing that there was logistically better seating available all around us and that we were uncomfortable where we were seated, she simply couldn’t be bothered and ignored us!

Spur Tree is amazing! The food was great and the service was even better! I love the space in the new location!
I would recommend trying the ackee and codfish bruschetta especially if you love traditional West Indian food. Also the jerk lamb chops were simply amazing! I almost bit my finger off trying to eat them. The jerk wings were good as well but the jerk lamb chops made everything else seem like child’s play! The curry chicken was also good.
The music was on point for a Friday evening with a good mix of reggae and hip hop. It is definitely a gem of a spot on the LES.
I would highly recommend making a reservation especially if you have a large group.