Harlem Bar-B-Q

“My co workers had the honey fried chicken- wow- tasted…..so freakin smooth.”

“We both ordered drinks – Texas size pina coladas with a shot on the side.”

“Friday night at 7pm and sat right away – that probably won't be the case for long as this Harlem space gets more press.”

Harlem Bar-B-Q

Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

6 reviews

  1. Just welcomed Harlem BBQ to the neighborhood. Just around the corner from Abyssinian Baptist Church After only 4 weeks in the space once occupied by a neighborhood icon, this place rises to the occassion!! Pulled pork sandwich, NC style was PERFECT.  Service was warm welcoming and just right. Prices were reasonable.  Did I mention the unlimited cornbread? Go. Now. Get your BBQ fix. You won't be disapponted. Welcome to the neighborhood!

  2. This is a nice addition to the neighborhood where there is a lack of full-service sit-down restaurants. It's a casual, no frills large space and the separate bar area is very much set up for watching sports if you like.

    I checked the menu online and I instantly thought of Dallas BBQ with chicken, ribs and frozen drink items, but they have more of a soul food spin.

    I only ordered take-out so I can't speak to the dine-in experience. I called ahead to place an order but they don't take orders over the phone, so I was disappointed since other restaurants do so.

    There was a bouncer who was very courteous and nice. Kind of liked that there was a bouncer and could see the value in case anything gets rowdy at the bar. There's a specific area to place take-out orders by the bar with a few benches for waiting. The lady who took my order was very nice and my order came out after a short wait.

    As for the food:
    – Sweet potato fries: they came in a waxed paper bag, the kind also used for pastries or cookies. For $4.95, I thought the portion was small and the fries could have been crispier.
    – Buffalo wings ($10.95 for 10 pieces): the wings are large and the Buffalo sauce is as I expected. They coat the wings in more batter than I like which gets clumpy and soggy. Not my preference for how I like my wings. The creamy dipping sauce tasted like watered down blue cheese but they did give me two containers for 10 wings.
    – Corn bread: this came with my wings and wrapped in foil to keep it warm. Unfortunately, it was thin and compact and not the best cornbread I've had. No butter was included like Dallas BBQ does.

    There were no utensils or napkins in my order so I don't know if that was forgotten or just their business practice.

    My rating is more a reflection of the food I had. But I was pleased with the people I interacted with. I may try some other items in the future like ribs or roasted chicken.

  3. It's only fair for me to update my review, since I had a better experience the second-time around.  I had a craving for some mac 'n cheese and fried chicken, and since this place is across the street from me, I stopped in on my way home after work.  It was pretty quiet when I arrived, but about half full of diners.

    The service was much faster and more organized.  Also – I thought I should order the honey fried chicken again, just to make sure I give it a fair assessment.  As it turns out, I got the WRONG chicken the first time around.  So, my initial review is based on an I'm-not-sure-what-kind-flavor chicken.  Although I suspect it was probably the roasted chicken.  That said – the honey fried chicken was AMAZING!  Just freaking delicious and delectable.  The mac 'n cheese tasted the same as last time – so kudos for consistency!  And can't go wrong with the cornbread.

    Overall – giving a rating that is more reflective of what I *wanted* to experience the first time around, after having experienced it the second time.

  4. A trickle of us Yelpers stumbled in here for supper this past Saturday after the elite event up in Harlem. I was ravenous as the only thing I ate that day was like two pieces of fried food from said yelp event and skipped breakfast and lunch and was running off of way too many bourbon and jungle juices. It was a swell idea. The service was incredibly fast and fairly attentive. We got a table right away. The decor is also neat. It's really bold, bright, and colorful.

    My first qualm was really with the server forgetting my drink. I wasn't going to be upset about it but I asked him what was the beer from Sugar Hill, being unfamiliar with the brewery. He had no idea what the beer was. He actually had no idea what seasonal beers the restaurant was serving either. Eventually he remembered and I just went with it. Most bevies were over-priced: $6 for mediocre beer options and $10-15 for cocktails, which I had my limit of already. Between my buddy and I we split an order of their buffalo chicken mac and cheese. We asked the server if this was a decent portion size for two people and he said 'no, not at all. It's really tiny. It's meant to be a starter and that's not even enough for one person'. Finally, we decided between the two of us that we were being frugal, let's just split it anyway and get a side of french fries. Whatever.

    The food comes out. Someone passed me a slice of cornbread. That was pretty awesome tasting actually. Sweet and fluffy. Wish they brought out real butter instead of packets for the table. The mac and cheese came out and it was actually HUGE. LIAR. It was actually so large in this giant cast iron skillet thing that it was the perfect size for two people and I would hope so with it being $9.95. It was tangy, crispy on the outside and saucy on the inside. Highly recommend. Also, their sweet bbq sauce is great. Especially on the cornbread and macaroni.

    Some people liked their food, some didn't. Mostly chicken or pork dishes were ordered and sandwiches. I'd come back and be willing to give them another try if I'm ever in this neighborhood again but there is some damn tasty bbq in the city that trumps this place. Bottom line: It kind of reminds me of a less kitschy Dallas BBQ. You kind of want it, some of it tastes pretty good but you also feel embarrassed for getting some just okay fried chicken and mac and cheese with your gallon of frozen alcohol.

  5. I was at a nearby event and we decided to come here to grab some food. I was a bit scared since it didn't get great reviews but they were really nice to our group from the minute we walked in.
    As I looked through the menu I was surprised by how reasonable the prices were. I decided to go with the crispy half chicken and a side of mac & cheese.
    I have to rave about the chicken, not only was the skin super crispy but I really loved the flavor. Every part of the chicken was delicious.
    My meal came with corn bread which was decent but nothing to rave about, the only thing I wasn't super satisfied with was the mac & cheese. I have to say it was okay nothing special and I would ordered a different side next time.

  6. My kids told me about this spot so I had to try it.  My daughter and I came on a Thursday evening – it was a nice amount of people there but it wasn't overly crowded.  The music they were playing was good and added to a lively atmosphere.

    We both ordered drinks – Texas size pina coladas with a shot on the side.  The drinks reminded me very much of the drinks they serve at Dallas BBQ's and they were very good.  I was expecting the food to taste the same as Dallas BBQ's as well but I have to admit – the food here is much better.  I had the 3-piece dark meat chicken plate which comes with one side (I had the mac & cheese).  I had my chicken with bbq sauce the chicken was moist with good flavor.  The mac & cheese was delicious – very cheesy.  In fact I wished that I had a second serving since it was so good.  My daughter had the cat fish nuggets – she said that's the only thing she orders at this restaurant and she is right cause they were delicious.  Nicely fried but not greasy – they are really good.  We also had cornbread which was placed on the table when we ordered our drinks – now I'm not really a cornbread eater like that cause most places makes it way too dry but I have to say that it was pretty good.

    Overall Harlem Bar-B-Q offers good food for a good price and I would be more than happy to go there again……real soon.

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Lenox Avenue 547
New York 10037 NY US
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Monday, 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Tuesday, 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Wednesday, 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Thursday, 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Friday, 12:00 pm - 12:00 am
Saturday, 12:00 pm - 12:00 am
Sunday, 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm