amy ruth's

I had the chicken and waffles and I thought they were good, but nothing amazing. The chicken was delicious,... more

The food is great but service is extremely slow. more

I’ve been there twice-please don’t ask....\r I'm still very confused & unclear as to why it has such high ratings. My folks are from the south & I DO know great southern cooking. The cornbread is always lukewarm & dry. However, the veggies are better (i.e. cabbage & greens). The honey chicken is good, but dry. Yes, the portions are small. I’ve never ordered the mac & cheese, because based on how the other food tastes, I already know I’ll be disappointed! \r \r Overall, it is better than Sylvia’s, but that does not say much at all. \r Pros: expanding to space next door? Cons: fair food, not real soul food, & limited choices more

I recently ate here and the Mac and cheese was so good I almost died!!! I also loved the waffles! When it comes to southern food Amy Ruth's is the only restaurant worth coming to in the city. I cannot wait to go back! Pros: Best southern food in the City more

Had the Honey crusted chicken with collerd greens & yams soaked in coconut milk, OMG... talk about great... even the white meat brest was jucie. Would vist there next time I'm in Harlem. Pros: Awesome Fried Checken & Waffles Cons: none that I know of more

Imagine this, a group of Koreans and an African American women eating together for a birthday party on a Thursday night in the middle of Harlem. \r We had arranged for a large table upstairs for the party and were promptly given one. I was one of the first people to get there, and when entering the restaurant was whiskly greeted with a smile by the attendant and asked if I was there for the birthday party...LOL...Was it that obvious? The bottom level had a fairly full dining room, the upstairs was very sparse. With only a few tables being occupied and the large one in the back allocated for us. I decided to do a quick Anthony Bourdain check and looked inside the bathroom and was suprisingly shocked at how clean and well maintained it was. The decor inside is very homely with a few knick knacks spread about, but the clean bathroom assured me I was in for a good dining experience. \r I had the honey fried chicken with a side of macoroni and cheese and potato salad. Chicken was incredible, although a little greasy. Potato salad was oddly sweet, but very good. The only downside is that I had ordered the dark meat, because I'm a dark meat connoseur, but the portion was too small! If you want a bigger portion get the white meat. I think the biggest attestment to the quality of the food was that our rowdy party was fairly silent during the dinner service. For dessert I had the peach cobbler, a friend of mine went outside and got some vanilla ice cream to put on top and it was heavenly!\r They don't server beer or alcohol, but the waitstaff was extremely accomodating pouring all our BYOB into a carafe and giving a bucket of ice to chill the champagne. All our needs were taken care of with extra plates, napkins and drinks whenever we needed one. The service was simply exceptional...I rarely venture all the way up to Harlem to go dining, but for this place I will have to return again!!! Pros: Great service and soul food Cons: No alcohol available more

For the night that went wrong, Amy Ruth's was the perfect way to get us back on track. The fun and friendly... more

What a pleasure. We arrived around 9:30 on a Sat night. No wait for party of 4. After the manager informed us that our jerk-chicken orders could not be filled as they ran out of jerk-chicken, he delighted us with promise of complimentary dessert, all of which turned out to be on the money. I went with smothered chicken with mac & cheese and cheesy grits, all of which were top notch. The servers were chatty and friendly and the atmosphere was as homey as the food. Big thumbs up. Pros: Price, service, food Cons: Bit sloppy more

I took my cousins from France here. There was a long line, but it moved very quickly. This two floor eatery has a fast turnover. We took a long time with the menu because we had to translate (try describing a waffle to someone without knowing the word in French) which bothered our waitress. We ordered 5 items for 6 people expecting typical Soul Food portions, which also bothered the waitress. Our food took an hour to arrive and I feel that it was because of the waitress, perhaps waiting to put in our order. Since we wanted everyone to try everything, I asked for extra plates. The server brought 1 bread plate. I asked for four more dinner plates. He returned 5 minutes later with 1 dinner plate. Rather than explain it again, we just made due with the rest of our bread plates. The food is good. Everything is a little sweet, the collard greens, the waffles, even the Mac and Cheese was a little sweet. The catfish disappeared in seconds and the BBQed and fried chicken delighted. Unfortunately, 18% gratuity is included for a group of at least 5. If it wasn't I'd have reflected my dissatisfaction with the service there. I will definitely return, at least for take out. If the service disappoints again, then I will take my business elsewhere. Prices are good. Including tip and sodas, we spent $15 per person. Portions are good too, not too large, like other soul food restaurants. One entree per adult will be enough food, to be certain. Also, cornbread was DELICIOUS. Pros: Food is delicious, portions are reasonable, prices are great, line moves quickly Cons: Slow service, inattentive servers more

While my wife didn't have a _bad_ time at Amy Ruth's, almost every aspect of our meal was below average and could have been improved. \r \r We were greeted by an expressionless young woman at the door with no apparent interest in us. Despite there being at least one empty table in the downstairs seating area, we were ushered towards the back and upstairs to the second floor, which apparently used to be used as a music venue; it was stuffy, and the ceilings a low 7'. Here again, despite almost all of the tables being open, including those near the window, we were seated at the least attractive table, in the corner, a few feet away from some storage in plain view, and directly beneath a vent with exposed insulation. We asked to be seated elsewhere and were shown to another corner.\r \r Ordering went fine, and the biscuits served were tasty. Then began the long wait for the food; between 20 and 30 minutes for the signature dish of waffles and fried chicken. The meal itself was nothing special; though my waffle did taste as if it had been deep fried after being made, and the ""fresh"" blueberries used had clearly been frozen not long before. My wife's fried chicken was the highlight. \r \r The service was friendly but was not attentive; perhaps they have more tables than they can handle, though our seating area was less than half full. \r \r I would not recommend this restaurant to others. For this kind of cuisine, try Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too instead. more

OK, the food is great, but ... we called at 5am to take out and were told we had to come in. So, at 5:30am we hopped into a cab to go there. Upon arrival we were informed that they are CLOSED for a ""shift change"" between 5:30am and 7:30am! Why not tell us this on the phone? Pros: Good food Cons: False advertising (not open 24hrs on the weekends) more

The four of us were ravenous and anxious to see if Amy Ruth's lives up to its excellent reputation. IT DOES!\r The mac and cheese was so fine that I ordered a second dish of it to eat as my dessert. I've traveled and eaten a lot in the South and I'll put this restaurant up against most any southern establishment in terms of quality and quantity of food. Mmmmm....Good!\r more

Met a friend for lunch here. Very pleasant setting. You can BYOB. Hot chocolate was a warm river of melted... more

WENT THERE WITH A LARGE GROUP A FRIENDS PRIOR TO SEEING 300 AND HAD A FANATASTIC TIME FOOD WAS GOOD AND... more

We just happened upon Amy Ruth's while on our first visit to NYC. I grew up in the south and have eaten southern food for years, so I was quit surprised to be able to order such a meal in the city! We were starving and were tempted by the chicken and waffles, but after tasting the cornbread and loving every bite of it decided to try the smothered pork chops, greens and mac and cheese. Not only was it our lunch, but left overs kept up going through that evening! It was great! more

I love this place. Really delish food for a good price. I thought that going down to Atlanta would be... more

I will be very brieft as Amy Ruths is probably the best soul food that I've eaten outside of my own kitchen. There are many restaurants in NY that lay claim that they have the best soul food. If you have not had Amy Ruths - what could you possibly be waiting for. I grew up eating at Sylvias and no disrespect to Ms. Sylvia, but Amy Ruths Chicken and Waffles is just as good, if not better than Roscoes (for those of you who've been to LA). The mac and chesse is great, but the cheese grits have been lumpy at times. The whiting is excellent - not better than Famous Fish, but definitely would a try. The yams are sweet and the kool-aid is sweeter. If you are a diabetic, don't bother going. more

I had the opportunity to dine at Amy Ruth's this past 4th of July holiday. WHAT A CELEBRATION WE HAD!!!\r I can honestly say that we enjoyed the food and ambience of the restaurant. Being from Texas, where there is a ""soul food"" restaurant on every corner, we know real soul food. From the cornbread to the yams to the greens to the smothered chicken livers it was all excellent. Not too much sugar and grease or salt. The food was seasoned just right. Slyvia's can't not compare to Amy Ruth's. We will be back and tell others. Pros: The taste of the food. Refreshing for the palate Cons: Waiting for service outside - drawback more

way better than sylvia's. real collards here, and pork chops are thick and delish! most everything is good. more

The food is real Southern cooking. And the owner uses local produce and goods, so its always the freshest!... more