Tag Archives: dining

New Middle Eastern Restaurant opening August 15 in East Harlem


There is a new restaurant opening up in East Harlem this coming Monday and the owners are shouting it out on twitter. Habibis, a quick-serve Middle Eastern restaurant, is opening its doors at 52 East 125th Street in Harlem and will be offering a menu of halal food, such as grilled meats, gyro, and falafel, as well as sandwiches, salads and desserts. Vegetarian meals will be offered as well, with options such as falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, and a variety of salads.

Habibis’ menu is available online. Click here to check it out.

Harlem happy hours happening everywhere: Chocolat, Lido Harlem & Milk Burger

It is hump day and you’re not sure where to go for happy hour in Harlem. Here are a few choices for your consideration and recommended in order!

Those of you who know me on Facebook are a witness to my many execursions to Lido Harlem. I am always there and have more reasons to be there now given their happy hour specials. I recently learned from Susannah that from 5:30 – 7:30 every day, seven days a week, Lido Harlem is offering 1/2 price beer & wine, $5 well drinks and $5 Lido specialty cocktails. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights Lido is now offering a late night happy hour starting at 10 p.m. to close. I believe they are offering a late night menu as well! If Lido’s happy hour is anything like their food, it will be consistently good.

Chocolat has the best schedule for happy hour in my view. It starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. If you can’t make a happy hour that ends at 7:30 rush on over to Chocolat on Frederick Douglass Blvd and 120th. They offer a selection of flavored martinis for $5 and small plates ranging from $5 to $8. I have had all the small plates and they were all quite good.

And last, the much talked about burger joint in East Harlem has a happy hour. If you want to be one of the first to check out Milk Burger’s happy hour, head on over soon and early or on your day off. They start at 3 p.m. Yuck. Clearly, they want people to drink early. I hope they change that time. It’s hard enough to make it to happy hour at 5 p.m. I recommend this place (see details below) because it is on the rise and experience it now while it is still relatively a new place in East Harlem.

Have a great time at happy hour. See you around in Harlem!

Guess who received an A grading in Harlem?


It was only a matter of time before Red Rooster in Harlem would receive the top grading from NYC Department of Health. This past week, Marcus Samuelsson took to twitter to enthusiastically announce that his establishment on Lenox Avenue received an A grading from a C. In a July 10 post I mentioned how it was not going to take long for Marcus and his team to make that change and it certainly didn’t take long.

So if anyone out there was actually hesitating to go to Red Rooster in Harlem because of its previous health grade rating, which I seriously doubt there was, you can now head on over to the Rooster in Harlem and dine at a place with an A grading. I was at Red Rooster last weekend with a guest from Atlanta. We went over there after the Harlem Week kick off event. We had dirty shrimp and rice, oysters and Helga’s meatballs. And as always, it was perfection!

Harlem’s Honeycomb Burgers aiming to open by end of summer

I was at Chocolat recently enjoying their happy hour (more on that later) and while there I inquired about the status of Honeycomb Burgers, located on Frederick Douglass Blvd between 119th and 120th Street. The word is they are hoping to open the place by the end of summer. Harlemites can hopefully expect a new burger joint around August or mid September. We all know the drill when it comes to opening these establishments. Deadlines are very fluid. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the hamburger prices will be reasonably priced at Honeycomb Burgers in Harlem!

Leon Ellis, the owner of Moca and Chocolat, owns Honeycomb Burgers. He is clearly expanding his restaurant business in Harlem and will soon dominate this particular block in Harlem once his third business opens. Good for Leon and best wishes for continued success! Can’t wait to have a burger there!

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Want to work at Harlem Tavern?

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If you are looking for work and have experience in high volume restaurants, head on over to Harlem Tavern, located on the corner of 116th and Frederick Douglass Blvd., with your resume! They are looking for people with 2 to 3 years of experience in working in the restaurant business.

Please pass this along to anyone who know who is looking for work and would like to work at Harlem Tavern! Have a great weekend!

Sign says Harlem Tavern officially opening July 1

Jun 30, 2011 @ 12:05
By HarlemGal
A reader provided us with a nice photo this morning about Harlem Tavern! I believe the photo says it all-opening day at Harlem Tavern starts at 5 pm, July 1! See you there! And a big thanks to our reader!!! You know who you are! You are the BEST!

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Harlem Tavern delays opening to Fourth of July weekend

Jun 28, 2011 @ 10:45
By HarlemGal
If you were planning on stopping by Harlem Tavern tomorrow night, June 29, don’t. They’re not quite ready yet. They just passed their last inspection last night (June 27) and over the weekend they put out a call for more food runners. They were needing a lot more help. Given all this, they are now aiming to open this Friday if all goes as planned.

So if you are around over the holiday weekend, there might be another place in Harlem to sit outside to eat and drink! In the mean time, check out their menu and drink list, here. When they open, you’ll be ready to order when you arrive! Stay tuned…

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Harlem Tavern to open next week

Jun 24, 2011 @ 7:08
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By HarlemGal
UPDATE: Harlem Tavern is having a soft opening this coming Wednesday, June 29! Not the 27th!
The day is near when Harlem’s newest beer garden will officially open to the public. Harlem Tavern recently had their gas turned on, all the hires are in place, and this week several days of training occurred. When I last spoke to the owners, they said “give us one more week.” That was this past weekend. Plus all the major traditional New York press are reporting what we have known all along, Harlem Tavern is scheduled to open next week.

We hope our series called Inside Harlem Tavern was helpful and that it provided you with first-hand information on what’s expected to be one of Harlem’s hottest establishments on restaurant row. See you at Harlem Tavern!

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Harlem Tavern fun facts, inside Harlem’s up and coming beer garden

Jun 19, 2011 @ 9:44


By HarlemGal
We continue our series called Inside Harlem Tavern. We recently told you about how Harlem Tavern is going unisex all the way with their toilets. Let’s now turn our attention to the fun facts about the bar and restaurant opening up on the corner of 116th and Frederick Douglass Blvd.

  • Total square footage: more than 6,000 square-foot
  • Seating: 150 inside, 150 outside
  • Outdoor light fixtures: designed similar to look like the ones in Central Park
  • Music: weekend brunches with live jazz
  • Culture: art from nearby galleries
  • And exact address and phone number: 2153 FDB and 212-866-4500

We have a pretty good idea on when Harlem Tavern is opening so stay tuned.

Harlem Tavern goes unisex with you know what!

Jun 17, 2011 @ 14:09

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By HarlemGal
First we told you about Harlem Tavern’s menu and drink list as part of our Inside Harlem Tavern series. We continue our series with a topic that some might find odd or unnecessary, but we think it is important strategic information to have. And hey…this topic everyone deals with. It is commonly know as mother nature and when mother nature calls-at least for me-the question I will immediately ask to anyone and everyone is “Where the h** are the bathrooms?”

When I visited Harlem Tavern recently I actually asked to see the lady’s room. I wanted to know where they are located. Well, I found out there is not exactly a lady’s room. There is not a men’s room either. Harlem Tavern went…UNISEX with their bathrooms. There are several stalls with closed doors lined up against the wall to the right when you walk indoors. It is all closed off. Don’t worry. Its only when you wash your hands that you may or may not know the person standing right next to you.

I was sort of surprised when I saw this. I thought with all that space inside why not send the men one way and the gals the other way? I guess the owners figured let’s save on space indoors and give patrons more outdoor space for eating and drinking. Oh well. See you in the Harlem Tavern bathrooms.