Bar Manje tastes like home to me. I'm not from Jamaica or St. Lucia (like the gifted chef Kingsley John). I'm not even from the Caribbean. But these flavors are comforting and familiar. There are familiar spices and textures. The Jamaican Patties are as well-laminated and flakey as the world's best croissants, but also tender like the best scallion pancakes or "jiali jao" / curry puffs in Hong Kong, Thailand, or Taiwan. The goat filling the Pardner chose was tender and rich and spiced like Hong Kong-style curries, which were, in turn, likely influenced by Indian, British, and Japanese cuisines. It also recalled the fillings used for jiali jao / curry puffs. I'm guessing there's turmeric, allspice, cumin, and coriander involved, no heat that we could register. These patties are clearly scratch-made and labor intensive, about 6 trillion times better than Golden Krust or even Juici. The excellent green sauce served alongside the patties may have been a creamier than usual version of callaloo (the menu didn't identify it). It had an uncanny (and delicious) resemblance to sarson ka saag. There was also a small amount of creamy scotch bonnet condiment served alongside. We've ordered the Jerk Chicken (grilled chicken marinated in classic Jamaican jerk spices, delivering smoky heat and deep flavor; $26) on every visit and didn't break the mold this time. The serving size has decreased a bit (though it's still very large) and there's no longer Jamaican festival bread on the side -- but you can order rice and beans with it for an addition $5. Purists won't like that this chicken isn't smoked over pimento wood (or actually smoked at all, but grilled). If you level and call this "chicken with jerk seasoning," instead, perhaps even non-purists will enjoy the moist meat and beautifully flavored rub including, from what I could pick out, allspice and maybe other sweet spices, thyme, paprika, black pepper. We didn't register much, if any, spice heat. The Shrimp Grits (creamy stone-ground grits enriched with butter and sharp cheddar, topped with jumbo shrimp in a creole-spiced butter sauce; $27) made me swoon with delight. I love grits and growing up in the south gave me a lot of exposure to really damn good grits. Bar Manje's are grits of the highest order, made with stone-ground corn -- the only proper type -- and enriched with just the right amount of butter and cheese. We've tried grits at a number NYC establishments, including at Jacob's Pickle most recently, and Bar Manje's leaves all the others in the dust. There were generous amounts of large, flavorful (though slightly tough) shrimp in the order, as well, and chunks of good sausage. But for me, everything was second fiddle to those perfect, perfect grits. I seriously wanted to lick the bowl clean. Now for cocktails... As good as this food is, the cocktail program is where Bar Manje really, really knocks it out of the park. It's not a very extensive list, but each one is perfectly made (kudos to that really nice bartender!), and many are ingenious. The best one we've tried so far is the Rodney Bay Sunset (Chairman's spiced rum, mauby bark, amaro, bitters, orange zest). Mauby or mabi bark* is the bark of the colubrina elliptica tree, which is popularly boiled with sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves, and aniseed, and with sugar, in the Caribbean. I love bitters in my drinks and mauby is wonderful: complex, dark, woody, slightly astringent from saponins, with a scent that sort of reminds us of root beer. The Pardner loves root beer. I hate root beer. Both of us are big fans of this drink. It's rich, dark, and strong. *Fun fact: Mauby is said to be good for your skin. Obviously, I must drink many more Rodney Bay Sunsets. For my skin. We also (predictably) love the Spanish Town (Mezcal, ginger, cucumber, St. Germaine, soda) -- because smoke and spice is everything nice. This drink is very refreshing in hot weather and I bet because of the cucumber, it's also good for your skin. Yes, we'll have more of these, too. If you like sweet-spiced drinks, you'll also like The Wailers (St. Theresa house-infused pimento rum, campari, sweet vermouth). Note: All cocktails are $15, strong, and beautifully made. This is a STEAL on the UWS and in NYC more generally. Beers are only $8. We're clearly going to have to make this our go-to watering hole so we can save big $$. And for our skin. More content at https://eatersdigestnyc8.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/flavors-of-home-at-bar-manje-upper-west-side-new-york-city/ read more

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4.5 If youre in the area Id definitely stop by after a walk through the park or visiting the museum. Service by Madoyan was AMAZING! As someone w a caribbean background I felt the food was really good but nothing Id be like oh let me travel here for this outstanding meal I cant get anywhere else if that makes sense. Will definitely return. Ambiance was chill music was good. read more

Recently moved to the city, so I decided to give this new place a try. Me and my sister had the following dishes: Corn soup 10/10: Semi sweet and pungently flavorful. Bbq lamb ribs 10/10: Extremely tender, moist and flavorful. Goat beef patty 8/10: Slight smoky flavor to the beef patty itself, on the side you get a bowl of curry goat which, I enjoyed more than the beef patty itself. They should make the curry goat a dish on the menu, it was great ! Shrimp & Grits 7.5/10: The grits were flavorful but I think the dish was a bit too on the soupy side. Oxtail lasagna 8.5/10: Packed with cheese, tomato sauce, oxtail and ricotta. It was amazing. The wailers 7/10: Grown persons drink, lol... it was a bit over powering for me but if you like a pungent spice taste, this is for you ! Sorrel mojito: Perfect amount of everything. 9/10 Mango mojito: Perfect amount of everything. 8/10 The ambiance was a very cultural, they also had some really good music. 9/10 The service was decent 7.5/10. read more

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Upper West Side has been yearning for a place like this! To see Caribbean culture being highlighted in this part of Manhattan is an amazing win. The whole vibe reminds me of a beachfront restaurant on the islands. They had an amazing playlist as well. They have a ton of shareable dishes. The beef patties is stuffed to the brim, the meatiest patty I ever had, great sauce to match. The Trinidadian Doubles Shell is a playful take on doubles, it was incredibly seasoned. The Five Spice Lo Mein was delicious, it was favorite bite of the evening. I will be back for their Jerk Chicken. The Wailer was like a Negroni with warm spices - pleasant delight and paired well with a the dishes. Here is my only issue, the wait to put in my order was veryyyy long. True to the Caribbean stereotype. I am going to give them deference because it was a busy Saturday and they are getting established. read more

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I wanted something unique for Mother's Day so I chose this local spot I hadn't been to before. The food was excellent. Stand outs were the lychee cocktail I had, the shrimp and grits, and the double shells. We ordered so much food I got to take a bunch home. We sat outside in the beautiful weather. Georgia was caring and attentive. Would absolutely come back again! Plus I was able to reserve on rest & pay on In kind! read more

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We really enjoyed our first time here for dinner tonight- warm and helpful and her recommendations terrific. I had a great salad with mango to start, and my husband had the corn soup we were a little disappointed that the corn soup couldn't be made gluten-free by leaving out the dumplings because we had called before coming and they had specifically told us that was something that could be made gluten-free try it, but he said it was delicious. For mains we had the jerk chicken, which was absolutely delicious and juicy, and the crab fried rice, which was also really good. Cocktails were good. Didn't have room for dessert, but will definitely be back. read more

My wife and I were excited to try this new restaurant in the neighborhood and it did not disappoint! The jerk chicken was perfectly cooked and had the perfect amount of smokiness and spice. Service was good and our waitress gave great recommendations on menu items. The drinks were amazingly priced and were great and the ambiance was on point, we'll definitely be back to try more food from the menu. read more

Bar Manje - Beef patties - Caribbean Near Me - New York, New York

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Warm Caribbean vibe on a chill afternoon with Caribbean dishes like bake and shark, and sorrel margaritas to name a few. Reggae music in the background makes you feel like you're on an island of one of the Caribbean islands. read more

Bar Manje - Sorrel margarita - Caribbean Near Me - New York, New York

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The service was really nice and the space is comfortable. I enjoyed my corn soup even though it was on the sweet side. I liked the shrimp and grits and the goat patty was delicious. I really did not enjoy our cocktails, the Rodney Bay Sunset. It was very bitter and the syrup that is added did not mix well with it. It was extremely hard to finish and did not sit well. read more

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Food was great! Be willing to try things you've never had because we were and we loved it all!! Will def go back. The Frosie O'Donnell was also a highlight!! read more

By the end of our meal we were all blown away by how great the food and drinks were considering we wandered in off the street randomly on Cinco de Mayo. I suspected that this gentleman saying goodbye to some patrons was possibly the owner so when he eventually came to clear our table I placed my hand on his shoulder and said just how delicious everything was. He was so gracious and thankful that he insisted on bringing his best rum by for our table to taste, it had been aged 21 years which explained the amazing flavor. All around it was fantastic and we'll be returning during our next trip to NYC probably with our family in Brooklyn. read more

Bar Manje - Caribbean Near Me - New York, New York

I came here for dinner on a quiet Wednesday night. The staff were so kind and attentive- our waiter even brought us a taste of the corn soup since we were first timers and curious about many menu items. My husband and I had: Corn soup Beef patties Jerk chicken (served with rice and peas) Cari burger (served with fries) Everything was delicious and so flavorful! Nice portions as well, I had leftovers for lunch the next day. Highly recommend! read more

Finding REAL Caribbean food in Manhattan is not easy. A lot of places water it down. Bar Manje does not. The corn soup had depth and real flavor not bland, not rushed. The jerk octopus was tender and seasoned all the way through (and that matters because nobody wants chewy octopus). The beef patty gave proper island bakery vibes flaky and satisfying. Now let's talk about the oxtail lasagna. I was skeptical at first, but it works. It's rich, flavorful, and actually tastes like someone in the kitchen cares. Finished with coconut cake and a lemon drop both solid. Overall 8/10. If you're Caribbean or just appreciate well-seasoned food, you'll respect this spot. read more

A gem in the uws great food, great service and the location is a mix of everything one could look for in an outing

Came in for galentines day and absolutely LOVED! I got the jerk chicken and it hit--warm, comforting, just exactly what I wanted. My friend got the mahi mahi and it was refreshing and perfectly cooked (a lot of fish we get when we go out tends to be dry and she was perfectly cooked!). The food was lovely but the service really made the evening. All of the staff seemed to truly care about the customers experience--it stood out especially since it was quite busy. Teresa, the manager on the floor, checked in on us just to make sure everything was to our liking and I noticed her doing the same with other tables--as someone who works in the industry I notice and respect a manager who knows the hospitality industry. Our server, Debra, also deserves a shoutout--incredible drinks and just an all around kind, fun human! Will definitely be back! read more

A treat to have a Caribbean restaurant in the neighborhood. Don't let the name of the owner/old establishment there, Good Enough to Eat, fool you - this is within that location but is a totally different menu with different food. The appetizers - like the corn soup, shark tacos and of course the 3 kinds of patties are tasty with the patties being authentic and cooked to perfection (beef, goat or veg). The others all look enticing. We've opted for the jerk chicken on two occasions since it is not easy to come by otherwise. It is just as we would want it - tender, spicy with a little extra spicy sauce on the side if desired. The staff are friendly and eager to share their food with you. The drinks are also Caribbean and a change from the usual fare in our neck of the woods. The music is not too loud and corresponds to the food. Hope this restaurant gains traction and stays around! read more