amy ruth's

A little overpriced, but reliable. Easy to reach, so it's sort of my go-to soul food place in Harlem. more

I don't understand how anyone can rave about amy ruths' bland food. i guess they must have never eaten food cooked by someone's real southern granny.....i MUST admit that they have one of the best macaroni and cheese recipes in NYC. but if you're already uptown you may as well pick another place that will have better (and cheaper) food. the tourist prices at amy ruth's are outrageous but the food is even worse. the potato salad does tastes like it has a pound of pickels and sugar in it....the fried chicken is bland and dry (a huge no-no for souther food)...the smothered chicken is also bland and literally drowning in lumpy and undercooked ""gravy."" i once had the salmon which was ok and they make a half decent steak but it's definitely NOT worth the 20+ bucks they charge you for it. Amy Ruth's makes food for people who don't know what soul food is supposed to be like. the best bet is to take advantage of the 24 hour schedule on weekends and get something simple for breakfast after the club, like plain waffles or eggs, they at least get those right. or do what i do, stop by for a side of macaroni to go and get the rest of your authentic soul food somewhere further uptown.....the worst part of all ....NO PARKING....and truly outrageous service. i once came in on relatively un-busy friday night around 11. we were a table of four and they took about 20 minutes to come back for our order after bringing us menus and water. then we ordered and our food NEVER came. they didn't even notice our food never came even though we were sitting at the table directly in front of the cash register which was hilarious and infuriating. after canceling our order, for which the manager had no explanation or excuse except ""oh, we just switched shifts"" we didn't even get a discount on the one meal we managed to get for take out. Pros: Macaroni and Cheese Cons: parking problems, food is not even authentic more

Love it! Food is great! Service is great! The place is a little too small but they were still able to accomodate a party of 15 on the 2nd floor which was GREAT! I love the 24 hours on the weekends! You must try this place!!!! Pros: Great food, location, service Cons: Place is a little bit small. more

Amy Ruth's is definitely better than Sylvia's. If you are planning to go there, please be prepared to stand on a line outside until seating is availiable. The food is great.. the menu was fun to look at. However, beverage list is very short and not everything offered is availiable. The atmosphere makes you feel like you in a down south cafe/diner. Pros: The Food, Atmosphere Cons: The wait more

This place is deeeelicious! I came here with a friend and every single thing we shared (two entrees with a variety of sides) was so so good. We ate until it hurt and then kept eating it was so good. You must try it out! Don't miss the mac and cheese and the collards. Pros: Big portions, homey atmosphere more

This place is great, I don't understand some of the negative reviews here, or the somewhat low (in my opinion) Citysearch rating. This is one of the best restaurants in the city, at least in terms of the food. The fried chicken is the best I've ever had, much better than Sylvia's. Some of the other dishes aren't quite as memorable, but most are excellent, and the same goes for the sides. Quaint, friendly atmosphere. THere's a reason why people line up for this place--and it's worth the wait. Pros: food (especially fried chicken), friendly atmosphere Cons: the wait to get in more

I don't know where to begin. What began as our 2nd day of touring Harlem, we dropped off our recently purchased African art pieces to ship at the UPS store. We asked the clerk, ?What?s a good nearby restaurant?? He stated ""Amy Ruth's, everybody goes there."" Up the block we went, snapping pictures of Malcolm X Shabazz signs. Then enter. We noticed a homey feel. Small, yet quaint. We were seated so close to other diners, we heard their conversations; but it was just like home. After the visuals of plates and plates of food passing by, we finally ordered. \r My husband ordered the ?The Honorable Keith Wright? or Short Ribs with Candied Yams & Macaroni/Cheese. Coming from a Creole background, never in my life had I thought about cooking or eating fried chicken and waffles together - so of course, I ordered the ?Rev. Al Sharpton?. To say it simply; we had to stop and breathe. We fed each other from across the table, tasting each other's food one bite at a time. Sipping on each other's teas and lemonades. We underestimated the richness of the cornbread, the sweetness of the tea, the tenderness of the short ribs, the crispy coating of the chicken and the fluffy waffle; yet, the candied yams were something to behold. I thought I saw a tear in my husband's eye! It reminded him of his mother's yams, who recently passed away 2 months ago. Stop and breathe. This place simply took our breath away. Pros: Prompt & friendly service; Food something to behold. Ambience, homey. Cons: Don't eat or drink before you get there; Go on an empty stomach. You'll want it all. more

We tried Amy Ruth's today with my 7 and 4 year old sons and had a great lunch. My 7 year old loved the waffle and fried chicken and my 4 year old loved the mac and cheese. I would not recommend the juices, the coffee was good though. My husband and I liked the crowd a lot, friendly and animated. There was a short wait but all the staff we met were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back - but next time I'll stick to the fried chicken, I was not too crazy about the coconut shrimp I had. All the sides were good though! Pros: Friendly staff, child-friendly Cons: Wait on weekends if you come after 12 noon. more

We were here on a Saturday night and there were at least 30 people lined up outside, but it was definitely worth the wait. We loved the smothered and honey chicken. Best mac and cheese I've ever had. Didn't like the bread pudding, kind of dry, too much spice. But we took a slice of red velvet cake and it was incredible. more

I am a local Harlemite and I've been to all the soul food restaurants in Harlem and Amy Ruth's by far is the best. I saw some reviews on here about how bad Amy Ruth's was and how good Spoonbread and Copelands is which is why I decided to write my review. Sylvia's, Copeland's and Spoonbread are terrible compared to Amy Ruth's. I don't work there or own stock in Amy Ruth's but I know good soul food and this is it. I always take people there and it's popularity since it opened is increasing cause of the cuisine. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a fool and you shouldn't take there advice and rather experiance it for yourself. My favorite is everything on the menu especially the honey fried chicken. You can't go wrong with Amy Ruth's. We finally have a good soul food restaurant in Harlem again and the name is Amy not Sylvia. Pros: Great Soul Food, Decent Prices Cons: Needs to expand for more diners, getting too popular to not make reservations more

I was recently in New york last weekend and my sister and I decided to eat at Amy Ruth's. I grew up in Harlem and I am now living in the south.I am from a strong line of southern cooking!! My mother is from the deep south and she can get down in the kitchen and so can I!! The food to me was like from cans!!!Sort of reminded me of Sylvia's with the canned macaroni & cheese.If you want real southern food in Harlem go to Spoonbread too 110 & ONE ON 135 ST. Oh and try Copelands on 145st & Broadway!! That is real southern food!! Everything taste real. Macaroni & Cheese, Collard Greens, Yams!!! The food at both resturants are so good!!!! Now that is southern cooking!!!!!!!!!! Pros: nice set up Cons: some food is left over more

Fried chicken was fresh, however, very ""rubbery."" Ribs were tender, but were tainted by the taste of store-purchased (hickory) bar-be-que sauce; they also tasted re-heated; i.e., a day old. Smothered chicken also had a re-heated taste. The entrees were a bit over-priced. The side dishes tasted much better than the main course. more

I must say this restaurant was a pleasant surprise! I recently vacationed in NYC with my mother and aunt and also spent a day in Harlem (wonderful treat). While finishing up some shopping, we asked some individuals in a particular store if they could direct us to our initial choice for lunch--Sylvia's. Everyone who was in ear shot of us quickly (abruptly) redirected us to another dining hot spot called Amy Routh's. (They were pretty adamant about us going to this spot instead). So...we figured who would know best...people that live in Harlem! We headed down to Amy Routh's and I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. The food was delicious. The short ribs and smothered pork chops were a winner! (My mom wasn't crazy about her Cajun Chicken though). I loved the atmosphere (easy, casual, welcoming... like grandma's or great grandma's house). Had a chance to meet the owner...cool guy. Hat's off to the entire team. (My only beef...the restaurant wasn't completely full, but we waited outside (during the NYC heatwave 100+ temp.) for about 15 minutes. When we were finally seated upstairs, the entire upstairs area was empty??? Other than that, would highly reccomend. Great food. Comfortable atmosphere. Made you feel like you were back in the day...enjoying family and good food at grandma's. Pros: Feel Good place Cons: Wait when the restaurant wasn't even close to being full more

Not soul food at all (because there is none in New York anymore, try Chicago). But the food is good. Not a great choice of sides, but meats and sauce are delicious. Costly for it's portions. Great nice & quiet neighborhood. Pros: Good comfort food, nice and quiet Cons: Not authentic SOUL food (don't be mislead), costly for what you get more

I went to Amy Smiths last friday 7/28/06 and it was a very good friday. I had The Percy Sutton and my friend had the Pork Chops w/potato salad and collard greens. Everything on my plate and his was excellent. The cornbread I didn't care for; I've tasted better cornbread. The menu's needed updating and so do the table's they are very wobbly. The service was ok and I will be going to B. Smith's to see what this restaurant is about; check back for my reviews. Oh one more thing this is a family place; I give the decor a 12, not a place for a first date. Pros: The Food was excellent Cons: The Decor was not pleasant more

I love the food at Amy Ruth's. Whenever we would have friends visiting us in New Jersey, we would take them there. The food and service was fabulous. Also, loved when local artists' would have their work on display. Got great art pieces through this venue. We have since moved to the South, but have not found a soul food restaurant that compares. Planning a trip to NY just to get some good soul food! more

If you really want quality soul food bypass the tourist trap Sylvia's and walk yourself right down to Amy Ruth's. Trust me you'll feel better that you made the walk for two reasons: \r 1) to premptively burn off some of the calories you'll ingest at Amy Ruth's\r 2) the fact that you didn't waste calories eating the drek they serve at Sylvia's.\r If you want to eat at Sylvia's got to the one in Atlanta, it may not be the original but the food is far superior. If you want to eat good soul food in a bright and inviting resturant with quality service from a well dressed and friendly staff, take yourself right down to Amy Ruth's. The artwork on the window pane sets the tone for a relaxed and pleasent meal of comfort food. While you decide between the chicken and waffles (a Detroit invention, not Southern, don't tell anyone), ribs or fried catfish; have a glass of peach tea and enjoy the photos of the owner and various celebrities who visited the little restaurant on 116th St. Make sure you leave room for red velvet cake for desert and don't overstuff yourself on their delicious (yankee style) cornbread before the meal. It's just as good as Justin's but much cheaper. Watch out it's small and can get crowed quick, so be prepared to venture to the soul food restaurant across the street. I don't recall the name but the food is just as good, or head down to Amy Ruth's on 110th St. Pros: The food, Decor, Waitstaff Cons: It's a little cramped and can get crowded, the chairs are a little uncomfortable. more

I grew up on soul food and this restaurant tops the charts! I had the bbq spare ribs dinner with yams and collard greens. Each table comes with fresh home-made (very important) cornbread to begin the meal. The ribs are seasoned to perfection with a sweet/spicy dry rub that will have you licking your fingers! The yams seemed to have vanilla as an ingrediant that was very pleasing to the palate. The collard greens, which can be hit or miss at many places, we delicious here! As someone that cooks and enjoys soul food, I give Amy Ruth's my highest recommendation! more

it was well worth the subway ride uptown. the food was good and prompt. the lemonade was sweet and lemony. the service was prompt and helpful. the restaurant is tight and you might have to wait. we went for breakfast so we only waited about five minutes. i would DEFINITELY go back again. Pros: delicious, inexpensive Cons: tight, long wait more

I live a short distance from Amy Ruth's and I everytime someone comes to visit me I take them here. The food is good and they are open 24 hours on the weekends. I recommend the fried catfish and the mac and cheese. Amazing!! For those early morning late night.. drunk club feasts.. go for the Michael Basdin- waffles with bananas and walnuts.. hmm..hits the spot at 4am. The only thing that usually and almost always sucks is the service.. a bit slow.. and sometimes a bit rude, but if you can ignore that..then Amy Ruth's is perfect.. Pros: good food, nice ambiance Cons: service, restaurant too small more