The Grotto

"I went with a party of 7 for a friend’s birthday. Firstly, the staff here are amazing and so is the food. I’ve seen comments about waiting time. While it may take a minute because they do not have the staff of a bigger restaurant it is definitely worth it! We were also told in advance about the wait time and as someone who has experienced going to numerous small restaurants and who understands the nuances behind a small business I understood. We all have to start somewhere. This is also a family owned/ran restaurant. We got to meet the chefs after who were just absolutely lovely. Our waiter, Andre, was amazing. I pray they continue to grow and in the meantime give a little grace to small businesses :) It takes nothing from you. As for the food. Between my friends and I we sampled a big portion of the menu and everything was lovely. There were no complaints. The lamb, oxtail, curry goat, mac n cheese….all good! I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone and I would definitely be going back."

"We went here for the last "girl's brunch" to close out the year 2023. The place is a bit small, which was a surprise to us when we walked in and the outdoor seating was a dealbreaker. There is a heater in the back to keep out there warm, however, I don't think it was turned up enough because we still felt a chill, but we made ourselves as comfortable as we could. Our server who is also the bartender, was very pleasant and personable. For appetizer we ordered the mac & cheese, ackee & saltfish tostones, oxtail spring rolls, sweet chilli wings, and bakes w/ackee & saltfish. I have to say, the food takes a little while to come but the deliciousness of everything we ordered, made the wait worthwhile. We were so stuffed from just appetizers, we had to forgo the entree. All in all, the food was great and our only disappointments were the wait time for the food and the ambiance. Food is definitely 10/10 - everything was fresh and on point."

"My sister is visiting from another state, so me and my friend wanted to take her out to enjoy her last few nights in NYC. This was the most horrible dining experience we have ever encountered. We made a reservation for 7 PM. We was not seated until 7:20. Once seated we was given water and a menu. Nobody attended to us at all. Around 7:50, I asked the waiter that was serving another table why we wasn’t attended to and he told us they were understaffed that day which we understood. He then took our orders. Our drinks came out about 10 mins later. The place we were seated at was a closed outdoor shack area that was heated but it was still pretty cold. We was also seated next to a table with a family of small children, which was really noisy. We waited another hour plus before our food came out. When our food came, we only got our entrees and not the appetizers that we ordered. I have never been to a place where appetizers would come after the entrees. We told the waiter to remove it off our bill since we never got it. The food was okay. Honestly I have had better for cheaper. The oxtails were a good portion and was tender and meaty. The jerk chicken was very small portioned but it was good. The curry goat on the other hand was an insult to me. They gave a few pieces with meat and majority of it was just bone. After such a horrible dining experience to finally get your food and not get any appetizers and your meal with majority bones. I was so mad. Then they automatically put a 20 % gratuity for groups of 2 or more. Granted they was understaffed but that service was horrible. The waiter did try his best navigating through many tables and training someone. Gratitude should be about the service you received but this service was horrible. If you’re planning to come, go at your own risk. I dined at many NYC establishments and this was by far the worse experience of my life. I was so upset because it was meant for my sister to enjoy. But who could enjoy such an experience."