I was planning a day out for my lovely other half, as it was his birthday and we were going to be in New York on holiday. We love eating to put it simply, so I knew I was going to need to find somewhere great to have lunch. I was apprehensive as I wanted to go somewhere pretty special, and not being able to see these places before we went I was completely reliant on the reviews of strangers - some picky, some not so. So I really had my fingers crossed when we approached the building. I really shouldn't have worried at all as Amy Ruth's turned out to be one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at. So, I'll describe the experience...
Where Is It?
Amy Ruth's is located on 113 W 116th St (New York 10026 in case you need to sat-nav it) and is visible and in a large open area - so if you're looking out for it you can't really miss it. We took the subway from Midtown and got there nice and easy. We got off at 125th st because we went to see the Studio Museum in Harlem before hand (very good by the way, well worth a visit if you're in the area, or even if you're not!). Anyway, you can get of at 116th station. So it's a stones throw. If you haven't been to Harlem before, don't be put off by stereotypes or previous reputation. It's a vibrant, lively atmosphere only odd for us in that in certain streets it looked quite a lot like some parts of London which was surreal!
What Can You Eat?
This should be 'How much can I eat?' or 'How many days should I fast for in preparation for the maximum intake of food?' The meals really are THAT good. Now, as I found on the numerous review sites I read before deciding to go to Amy Ruth's, where to eat the best soul food is a hotly debated issue. There are a few popular and competing restaurants in NYC - Spoonbread's (which we later walked past and were glad we'd gone to Amy's) and Sylvia's pop up quite a bit online
but after reading pros and cons until I was absolutely starving, I decided Amy Ruth's sounded better. So, anyway, I'm sure I might read a comment or two about how mum's food is the best or there's a restaurant in your town that cooks collard greens like no one else...but for me Amy Ruth's really was incredible.
The menu is a la carte, and there is a weekly special. When we were there it was jerk chicken, which appealed to my fiance who chose it as his main dish. I chose the honey-dipped fried chicken, The Terry Rivers. We both chose white meat, rather than dark which is also available. The quality of meat was excellent, lovely and soft on the inside, perfectly cooked. Mine had a delicious crispy fried coating, which was dripping in the honey coating, completely gorgeous. The jerk seasoning was perfectly done also. We were in heaven! Not to mention the sides. Basically, you order a meat dish and you get two sides on the plate as well (in separate bowls). I chose macaroni cheese and green beans and my fiance had coleslaw and fries, but we shared the sides - they were too good to keep to ourselves! The macaroni cheese was without a doubt the best I've eaten and the green beans weren't too hard or too soft. Fries were standard, but the coleslaw was light but with plenty of flavour. My fiance said it's the best he's ever eaten. We washed this down with two glasses of sweet iced tea - which they aren't joking about when they say sweet! I did struggle with the last half of the glass (not surprising given it was a pint sized glass) as it was quite sweet and I'm more a savory type person. But it was refreshing nonetheless.
The full menu can be viewed at www.amyruthsharlem.com/dinnermenu/dinnermenu.html from which you'll be able to see that there's a really great variety of food on the menu - in terms of the main dish you can eat chicken, steak, pork, ribs, stews, catfish, shrimp, whiting, beef, salmon, chicken livers, turkey wings etc. I think there's a real variety here, there aren't many decent restaurants where you can chose from all these. These main dishes are priced between 11 and 18 dollars which is roughly £6.00-£10 (at the time of writing).
Then you add your two side dishes - you can chose from string beans, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, french fries, collard greens, buttered corn, cheesy grits, coleslaw, white rice, okra, candied yams, potato salad and cabbage. Each dish costs $4.50 or £2.70.
So your meal altogether is going to cost between £10 and £15 roughly. Personally I think this is a really reasonable given the quantity of food that you get (lots) and the quality of the dinner. I was willing to pay this for our lunchtime meal given that we were going to be eating a tiny amount of food later on in the day so this was really our main meal. However, for a special lunch I'd definitely pay this again.
They also serve breakfasts and lots of waffles - again with a lot of variety. Personally, I don't eat a large breakfast as I'm never really hungry, I would opt for lunch or dinner here. But it looks great, and if you're a breakfast fan I'd suggest eating it. There are also salads and a chicken soup and gumbo soup. Amy Ruth's offer plenty of lovely looking desserts too - sweet potato pie, red velvet cake, peach cobbler and creamy banana pudding to name a few. If I wasn't so full then I would definitely have had one!
I was sooo full up after the meal, but I didn't feel sick or anything - just pleasantly stuffed! It was certainly one of the best meals I've ever eaten. I made sure I picked off all the chicken off the bone as it was too delicious to leave. Whilst waiting for the meal we received cornbread, which I couldn't really rate given that it wasn't something I'd eaten before. But it was good, sort of like cake really, similar to syrup sponge or something. I didn't want to fill up on that before the main course, so I only had a little. My fiance really enjoyed it though - he ate my leftover bit too.
Service
The food was served pretty quickly, the service was absolutely great and consistent - the waitress we had was really friendly and welcoming. All the waiting staff seemed proud to be working for the restaurant and happy, which was great and this really makes a difference when it comes to good service. We were sat by the door, given that we had queued outside for about 20 minutes I didn't mind where we sat but if given preference perhaps I might have sat a bit further in. But it didn't really matter and certainly didn't affect my experience of the restaurant. The table was large, probably meant for three or four, so it was nice to have the extra room.
Waiting outside is quite common on busy days from what I can gather, but it's organised by a man on the door who I'm assuming was a manager. So it's not chaotic and there is no chance of queue jumping. Smoking also isn't allowed in the line - as we found out, but you can step a few feet away to do so. There is shade nearer the door, but none at the back of the queue, again this didn't affect me, but might be something that others may want to consider. Perhaps pop down the road to the Malcolm Shabazz market (standing with your back to the door, head left, then cross over to the street in front. Then cross to the one on your right and you're there. It's visible from a few meters past the restaurant) if the line is really long. Personally ours wasn't, so we waited which I'm glad we did as there were more people waiting after we were seated than before. You just never know.
Atmosphere
The restaurant itself is very unassuming and thankfully not spectacularised for the tourist trade. There's a great mix of locals and visitors, including tourists for which the restaurant is very welcoming. I didn't feel like we stuck out as tourists - as I did in a few places that we ate during our holiday in NYC. So that was great.
Amy's is decorated simply but retains a certain homey feeling.
So...
You have to visit, simple as that.
Overall Amy Ruth's is a fantastic place to eat, providing absolutely delicious food in an inviting atmosphere. I really enjoyed Harlem and I'm glad we made the short trip up town to visit, I'm especially glad we went to Amy Ruth's, as was my other half. I would certainly go again, without a doubt, but in the meantime - Amy Ruth's...I beg you to come to England!! Please, for me?
Pictures of Amy Ruth's Restaurant, New York
Amy Ruth's Restaurant, New York
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