Harlem Restaurant
3.5/5
Opening at 11:00 am
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Details
Information
Reviews
Location
Blend of Afro-American/Afro-Caribbean inspired dishes with a modern twist

Restaurant type

  • Bar,

Cuisine type

  • American Cuisine,
  • Cajun,

Dishes

  • Brunch,
  • Lunch,
  • Dinner,

Features

  • Restaurant With Party Services,
  • Take-out,
  • Restaurant With Bar,

Atmosphere

  • Casual,

Products and Services

  • Southern,

Languages Spoken

  • English,
Useful Information

Opening Hours *Holiday hours

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Verify with Merchant

Rates:

  • $10,
  • $11 To $25,

Methods of Payment:

Meet the owner

Margaret Smith was in her twenties, and running a new theatre company at Queen and Tecumseh called Tecumseh Massive, when she wandered into the Irie Food Joint – the Jamaican restaurant next door. Margaret remembers, “I went in and introduced myself to the owner Carl Cassell and asked if he'd be open to lending us his space on an evening to do fundraisers for our theatre project and he was super supportive.”

Himself an artist, Carl always makes supporting artists a top priority. In 2007, he opened Harlem Restaurant on Richmond Street East and rebranded the Irie Food Joint the Harlem Underground to help him do that. “He really wanted to create a space that catered to the fine art of food, drink and music - creating a real soulful and warm environment for people to relax and enjoy high quality food and service,” says Margaret, now the manager of Harlem Restaurant.

It's an environment reminiscent of a French salon, or the salons that popped up during the Harlem Renaissance – both as an exhibition of art and in the fostering of intellectual conversation. “We've got a lot of really cool staff members here who have a really great knowledge of food, drink, music, literature and art," she continues, "so the the kind of conversations that happen here can vary extremely from pure comedy to philosophical, deep discussions."

Plus, attentive audiences watch live jazz, funk, soul or R&B performed every Friday and Saturday nights. On Sundays, you can hear anything from spoken word poetry to stand-up comedy. Margaret notes, “Carl is really adamant about supporting cultural and community events within the two Harlem spaces and has formed some really strong relationships with young Jamaican-Canadians who are trying to make their way in the art world. He supports them unabashedly because he was well supported when he was up-and-coming.”

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Menu & Prices

TASTY SNACKS MENU - Harlem Restaurant

HARLEM CORNBREAD

$3.50

SOUP OF THE DAY

$6.00

CANDIED PLANTAIN

Ripe Plantain sautéed in a brown sugar caramel sauce

$5.00

CATFISH / CHICKEN LAFAYETTE

Seasoned deep fried breaded morsels served with a side of sweet chili sauce.

$9.00

BUFFALO CHICKEN

Seasoned bite sized morsels of boneless thigh, fried crisp and tossed in a sweet chili BBQ sauce

$9.00

HARLEM CRISPS

Avocado-ginger hummus with deep fried wonton chips.

$6.00

JERK CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Jerk chicken quesadillas with spicy chipoltle honey and greens

$9.00

HARLEM SPRING ROLLS

6 vegetable spring rolls served with a sesame sweet chili sauce.

$6.50

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLE

Paired with a scotch-bonet-corriander-lime syrup and homemade gravy.

$14.00

EAT YOUR GREENS

MANDARIN SPINACH SALAD

Baby Spinach, mandarins, toasted almonds and feta cheese tossed with a balsamic mango vinaigrette

$9.00

HARLEM GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Spinach, avocado, goat cheese & red pepper salad dressed with a balsamic honey vinaigrette

$9.00

CAJUN CATFISH NIÇOISE SALAD

Cajun Catfish Niçoise Salad made with cherry tomatoes.

$12.00

SALMON SALAD

Pan-fried salmon filet on a bed of greens with lime and avocado hummus.

$14.00

SAMMY LAND

ALL SANDWICHES ARE SERVED WITH YOUR CHOICE OF SWEET POTATO FRIES OR ORGANIC BABY GREEN SALAD
ALL SANDWICHES SERVED ON COCOBREAD / CHALLAH TOAST CAN BE SERVED IN A TOASTED CIABATTA BUN. PLEASE LET THE SERVER KNOW WHAT TYPE OF BREAD YOU WOULD LIKE

THE NICE LADY

Chevre, plantain, avocado, spinach and mango mayo rolled in a tortilla grilled and toasted

$10.00

MUSHROOM MELT

Portabello mushrooms with Havarti cheese and dijon mustard rolled in a tortilla grilled and toasted

$10.00

THE HARLEM

A grilled three layer sammy of black forest ham, jerk chicken salad, avocado, mango mayo and jalapeño Havarti on a challah toast.

$10.00

ROASTED JERK CHICKEN

Roasted jerk chicken with sweet fried plantain, Monterrey Jack, scotch-bonet mayo served toasted coco bread.

$10.00

MONTREAL JAZZ

Montreal Smoked Beef, jalapeño Havarti, avocado and sotch-bonet mayo served with toasted challah bread.

$10.00

BAYOU CATFISH SANDWICH

Pan-seared Cajun Catfish with scotch-bonet mayo served on a toasted coco bread.

$12.00

STICK TO YOUR RIBS

CARRIBEAN CURRIED VEGETABLE STEW

Garden vegetables stewed in Caribbean Yellow Curry on coconut rice and peas

$10.00

HARLEM JERKED MEATLOAF

Harlem's famous Jerk beef meatloaf with basmati rice and an apple chutney.

$12.00

THE CURRIED CHICKEN COMMUNISTA

Boneless Chicken seasoned with a native Caribbean curry stewed with herbs. Served with parata and coconut rice and peas

$12.00

FISH-N-CHIPS

Two pieces of seasoned catfish in a beer batter swimming along side sweet potato fries and spicy Tartar sauce.

$12.00

SOULFUL SIDES

SWEET POTATO FRIES

$5.00

MAC-N-CHEESE

$5.00

BACON MAC-N-CHEESE

$6.00

COLLARD GREENS

$5.00

ISLAND COLESLAW

$5.00

DEEP FRIED PICKLES

$5.00

Cajun Fried Okra

$5.00

WAFFLES MENU - Harlem Restaurant

GINGER - PEACAN WAFFLE

Served with a banana Rum compote

$10.95

HOMEMADE SWEET POTATO-BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

$8.95

Southern-Fried Chicken and Waffles

Served with a scotch bonette-corriander-lime syrup and a gravy sauce.

$14.00

FRENCH TOAST

MILE HIGH JAWNY TOAST

Egg-dipped thick slices of egg loaf drizzled with maple syrup, crushed pecans and fresh fruit.

$10.95

CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

Chunky cinnamon apples over grilled thick egg bread.

$10.95

HARLEM FRENCH TOAST

Thick slices of egg bread topped with Rum soaked rasin cream cheese dipped in a cinnamon egg batter.

$10.95

EGGS

HARLEM MASH UP

Sweet Potato & Yukon potato hash served with sausage, topped with a fried egg and served with corn bread.

$10.00

OMELETTED DU JOUR

Served with organic greens, hash and corn bread toast.

$10.00

BIG BOY BREAKFAST

Sausage and bacon alongside sweet potato pancakes, scrambled eggs and corn bread.

$11.00

HARLEM BENNY

Two poached eggs, garlic collard greens atop sweet potato pancakes with a spicy hollandaise sauce.

$12.00

3 Farm- Fresh Eggs Any Style

Served with bacon, sausage and challah toast.

$11.00

SOULFUL SIDES

SAUSAGE

$2.95

BACON

$2.95

TOAST

$1.95

Beverages MENU - Harlem Restaurant

Drinks

1.5oz COCKTAILS, 2oz COCKTAILS, 2.5oz COCKTAILS, BEER, SPRING DRINKS, DAILY DRINK SPECIALS

APPETIZERS MENU - Harlem Restaurant

SOUP OF THE DAY

$7.00

MANDARIN SPINACH SALAD

Baby spinach , mandarins, toasted almonds and feta cheese tossed with a balsamic mango vinaigrette. +catfish or +chicken 5.00

$9.95

CATFISH LAFAYETTE

Seasoned and deep fried catfish morsels served with a sweet chili sauce and creamy chipotle mayo.

$9.95

SMOKED SIDE RIBS

Apple-wood smoked pork ribs, glazed with sweet Harlem BBQ sauce.

$10.95

HARLEM CRISPS

Avocado dip & walnut hummus with deep fried wonton crisps.

$7.00

HARLEM CHEF'S PLATE

Cornbread, Catfish Lafayette, Candied Plantain, Harlem Crisps, Deep Fried Pickles and Jerk Chicken Quesadilla. +Fried chicken 10.00

$35.00

JERK CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Jerk chicken layered between a cream cheese filling, drizzled with a spicy scotch bonnet honey.

$9.95

* + Candied Plantain

Ripe Plantain sautéed in a brown sugar caramel sauce.

$5.00

HARLEM SPRING ROLLS

6 vegetable spring rolls served with sesame sweet chili sauce.

$6.50

* + Harlem Goat Cheese Salad

Spinach, avocado, goat cheese, red pepper and toasted almonds tossed in a balsamic honey vinaigrette. +catfish or +chicken 5.00

$9.95

THE MISSISSIPPI MASALA MUSSELS

Fresh cultivated mussels steamed in a coconut cream curry sauce.

$10.95

MAINS

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Crisp, tender and full of flavor. Served with collard greens and your choice of either coconut Rice-n-Peas or Mac-n-Cheese.

$17.95

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLE

Paired with a scotch-bonet-corriander-lime syrup and homemade gravy.

$16.95

JERKED SMOKED BBQ CHICKEN

Served with collard greens and your choice of either coconut Rice-n-Peas or Mac-n-Cheese.

$17.95

JERK BEEF MEATLOAF

Harlem's famous jerked beef meatloaf with basmati rice and an apple chutney

$16.96

SMOKED JERK PORK HOCKS

Served with collard greens and your choice of either coconut Rice-n-Peas or Mac-n-Cheese.

$19.95

IRIE COCONUT FETTUCCINE

Fettuccine, Jerk chicken and hot Italian sausage smothered in a tomato coconut creme sauce.

$17.95

CARIBBEAN CURRIED VEGETABLE STEW

Root Vegetables & chickpeas, stewed in caribbean yellow curry, on basmati rice or coconut Rice-n-Peas.
$19.95

$15.95

HARLEM JAMBALAYA

A medley of shrimp, chicken & hot italian sausage topped with pan seared catfish, harmoniously singing together in this traditional rice dish. * Vegetarian Option Available *

$19.95

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Seared and simmered in a rich thyme-molasses, scotch bonet pepper and vegetable stew. Served with collard greens and your choice of either coconut Rice-n-Peas or Mac-n-Cheese.

$21.95

GUINNESS MARINATED STEWED CHICKEN

Stewed with caramelized onions and root vegetables. Served with collard greens and your choice of either coconut Rice-n-Peas or Mac-n-Cheese.

$17.95

+ Blackened Catfish or Salmon

Topped with a shrimp and crab etoufée sauce. Served with a side of collard greens and basmati rice.

$22.95

SIDES

CORNBREAD

$5.00

SWEET POTATO FRIES

$5.00

MAC-N-CHEESE

$5.00

BACON MAC-N-CHEESE

$6.00

COLLARD GREEN

$5.00

CAJUN FRIED OKRA

$5.00

DEEP FRIED PICKLES

$5.00
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Ratings & Reviews - Harlem Restaurant

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    Restaurantica12
    By

    I'll definitely go back

    (Harlem on Queen) After a weekend of dining at pretentious good-for-nothing restaurants (re: Spice Route) we decided to settle for Harlem, my bf's idea as the location of this place is easy to miss with so many other eateries surrounding it. We had the brunch/lunch menu. The waitresses were very attentive. Served right away. Food was quite tasty, although the only negative part about it was that it came out a lukewarm. The catfish lafyette was delicious! Yam and yukon hash was good, but would've been better if served hot, as potatoes tend to get rubbery when it gets cold. The ribs were not bad either. There was a lot of food on the menu that I wanted to try today, so I'll definitely go back , maybe during dinner the next time.

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    Restaurantica12
    By

    Overall, this restaurant is disappointing. I ordered the fried chicken, which was OK but had a sweet sauce on it I wasn't expecting. Mac & Cheese on the side was OK, collard greens were carrots with slivers of collard greens mixed in. My friend ordered mussels, which she said were bland. Sweet potato fries were likely frozen and kind of boring. Not terrible, but would not go back again. Bigg Daddy's and King & Simcoe is pricier, but a much better option if you're wanting southern food.

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