Lovely Soul food place .. Jamaican Run establishment .. but Diverse staff , Jamaican, and Indian Chef from India .. customer friendly environment .. it’s not a Jamaica restaurant .. Music was great .. people and staff were friendly .. Food superb .. Chef Chambers you nailed it.. the birthday girl enjoyed her meal throughly .. we can see why you guys have been in the business for years .. Must try establishment ..
We had the catfish appetizer and it was very fresh and very good. The live jazz on Monday nights is the best there is!
Gord and I had supper this yesterday at Harlem Underground. He had been craving mac 'n cheese and when I looked online, Harlem Underground popped up as having one of the best in Toronto.
Gord ordered Southern Fried Chicken with mac 'n cheese (and bacon). He said it was a delicious dish and he would get it again.
I ordered Jerk Smoked BBQ Chicken with coconut rice 'n peas (but no kale). It too was delicious. The BBQ sauce had a bit of a kick. I'd get it again.
Lamar was our server and he took good care of us.
Came here and was a tad disappointed when I tried to order a red stripe and they told me they didn't have any because they literally have like 50 bottles on display. Anyway their candied plantain was a little bit overly sweet and tasted to me exactly like Krispy Kreme donuts. The chicken was a little underwhelming because once the skin is gone it's just straight chicken with no seasoning and the sauces that come with it taste like 1. Curry and 2. Samosa sauce. Which didn't match for me. I preferred the red samosa one over the other one. But I prefer barbecue sauce. However chicken was cooked well. The baked mac and cheese was pretty good though and the service was good too.
We had dinner and drinks at the Harlem Underground yesterday, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a place to eat on Queen West. Unfortunately, due to renovations, the air conditioning wasn't working, and the corn bread wasn't great, but the rest of the food, atmosphere and service more than made up for it. Order the chicken and waffles - you won't regret it!
There's always something ongoing on at this spot ..or so my Facebook feed tells me. So I finally rounded up a few friends to check it out on a hot Thursday night. The vibes and music were great. There is a patio buuuut it wasn't open 👎🏾. They advertise drink specials with free Crisps+Avacado Dio...buuuuut didn't have any to offer that night. Annnnd the time it takes getting an order in and getting your bill is uber lengthy. But. The. Good. OMG!!! This maybe one of the best spots in The6ix for Chicken n' Waffles!!!
Brought a business college to Harlem Underground for late lunch today. This place is a top favourite of restaurants of mine. The food and customer service is exceptional! I highly recommend.
Christine Varden Smith
+4.5
So strange. The other reviews talk about bad service but we found them friendly and fun. Loved our meal, the service, and the outside tunnel patio.
Nice ambience, great service & wonderful food!
-----22 Mar, 2015-----
Pork Hock. Very tender & flavorful
Great food!. Absolutely love this place, food is amazing. Ambiance is great. I love coming here.
Liked it!. Came here on a Sunday night for dinner with the Boyfriend. It was really cute inside I liked the vibe a lot. excellent service. WE shared the BBQ Jerk Chicken which didn't taste the other Jerk chicken I've had but it was very good with a sweeter sauce. The Mac and cheese was very good, not overly creamy and watery but thick yet moist with cheese on top. We also had the fried chicken which was crispy and moist and very good. It was a classic fried chicken I have had others that boosted more spice and personality. I was pleased with this spot
The jerk chicken was amazing but the chicken and waffles were okay. Service is a bit slow but I think you get value out of this place. 7/10
Chicken & Waffles. The good:
-I don't know why people keep saying there was bad service here..maybe I was lucky with my waitress?
-Anyway The crisp on the chicken was good.
- I loved the scotch bonnet syrup, unlike a lot of restaurants, this one delivers on spice.
-If you want a restaurant that's not skimpy on the alcohol they put in their drinks....come here.
The bad:
- I don't know if white meat is too much to ask for but I would have definitely preferred that.
-I don't think there was enough meat on the pieces given to me - which was 2 by the way, my friend said last time she went there they gave her 4 pieces; it was emptier then though.
-Lastly...The gravy tasted weird.
I would go back though. lol
The food was delicious. The service was not the best but there was a party of two dozen or so. It's difficult to service both a huge party and a couple tables of two or four simultaneously. All things considered, I felt the service was attentive and friendly. The quesadillas were like Jamaican patties in crepes. That alone is worth going back for. The fried chicken was wonderful. The Mac n cheese was okay too. I loved how the menu is printed on an LP.
Our meal at Harlem was fantastic and met all of our expectations. Fried chicken, waffles with scotch bonnet and coriander syrup, fried pickles, and bacon mac'n cheese. It's hard to pick a winner here as everything was spot on. The hard decision will be resisting these to give other dishes a shot on our return visit. The atmosphere is also great, with good and fast service, live music in the evenings, and a generally hip meets soul vibe. It's not classic soul food, but you'll leave with a strong soul either way. Good thing, as the food will probably knock a few years of your 'ol ticker.
Amazing... but not if you are on a diet!. Seriously amazing Southern food... deep fried everything! MUST TRY! GREAT FOOD, GREAT PRICES! FUN ATMOSPHERE! Not necessarily a good "date" place... but definately a GREAT place to go with friends!
Mmm Mmm Gooooood!. I tried this place out the other day with 3 other people and we all loved it! Really delicious hearty soul food with a touch of gourmet and interesting mix of spices. The catfish lafayette appetizer was surprisingly light and fluffy and irresistible. Their homemade cornbread is a MUST at every meal. The southern fried chicken had a touch of honey glaze and was so scrumptious! The braised ribs fall off the bone in a wonderful stew sauce. The dirty rice is like nothing else I've tried anywhere else with sausage and spices with flavours my mouth kept craving for more. Even the beans and rice side dish was surprisingly different with a spicy twist and was also really good. This is no ordinary soul food/southern comfort food place. You have to try it!
My friend and I went to Harlem Underground (745 Queen Street West) for a Tuesday dinner. We had been here before and my friend was really craving chicken and waffles! You can search up their Winterlicious menu offerings here ($15 for lunch; $25 for dinner). Round two at Harlem Underground; round two of Winterlicious! It wasn’t particularly cold that day (by Toronto winter standards) so we walked from Osgoode station for about 20-30 minutes. The restaurant is located near the Queen Street West and Bathurst intersection, and there are streetcars that run in both directions. The restaurant opens at 4pm from Monday to Wednesday, and we were the first ones there. A lot of the tables were reserved! 01. Appetizer: CATFISH LAFAYETTE seasoned deep fried morsels of catfish served with a sweet chili hot sauce CATFISH LAFAYETTE seasoned deep fried morsels of catfish served with a sweet chili hot sauce Yummy! It’s probably not hard to
Each morsel of catfish was perfectly fried; the batter was not heavy or oily at all. The catfish underneath the batter was SO tender and soft and juicy! It was so blown away by how amazing it tasted. I also enjoyed the distinctive sauces that came on the side. One was maple syrup with a spicy kick and the other was a sweet chili hot sauce. It was so unique! I absolutely loved this appetizer.
The Irie Food Joint in its previous incarnation, the restaurant is filled with moody reds and blacks. We sat in the front area which is well lit, fairly spacious and a good place to people watch. The back patio is bright and modern and great for sitting in the summer time.
Amazing. So. Amazing. I have never had better waffles in my LIFE. Large, fluffy, and steaming fresh, it was like they were whipped with air. Oh my gosh! I could eat stacks.
I have had waffles. I ate fried chicken before. But together I can't say I have. It's funny how when I mentioned about fried chicken and waffles to my cousin she told me to buy KFC and a box of eggos lol. I retorted back it's not the same thing. Once the show was over I was craving for fried chicken and waffles so I ended up googling in search for a pl
For some strange reason, my friend and I were weirdly excited about having lunch at Harlem Underground. In fact, we were so excited that we knew exactly what we wanted to order even before we walked in! Though I don't have a lot of experience with eating soul food, anything deep fried always holds a dear place in my heart. We arrived around 11 am, and there was only one waitress serving all the tables. We were horrified to be informed that lunch was only served after 12 pm, since nothing on the brunch menu really appealed to us. Luckily, the kitchen obliged to serve us items from the lunch menu, and major disappointment was averted! On a side note, I really like their presentation of the menu on a disc. Sides are mostly ordered à la carte here, so we got a whole bunch of them to supplement our meal. First up, deep fried pickles , served with zesty scallion mayonnaise. Unfortunately, the batter didn't really adhere to the pickles and fell off really easily, so this was a difficult snac
With a wall-mural/graffitied glass hallway and red interior walls, Harlem looks like how you’d expect a restaurant in Harlem to look: cultured-chic, friendly and somewhere you’d want to spend a few good hours with friends and wholesome Southern cooking.
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Harlem Underground is one of my favourite guilty pleasure Toronto spots.. because, where else can I get fried chicken and waffles and mac and cheese? Okay, so its definitely not diet food, but its an indulgence that should be allowed every once in a while.
Service was a little indifferent, but both our food and drinks were deilvered promptly.
If you haven't been to Harlem, this is their 2nd location on Queen st W. I really prefer this one to their Richmond St location, which I feel is darker and less friendly.
We ate ( a lot):
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Okay, crispy exterior, yes, but they had an unusual flavour that I just cannot pin-point. Probably just too much coriander, which I'm not a huge fan of.
Corn Bread (forgot to photograph before eating lol)
Some of my favourite corn bread. VERY moist, which is not always typical with corn bread, and this version had corn kernels,which I always like.
Deep fried pickles
Light batter, but not super crispy (the look a little anemic). Regardless, I love fried pickles and will enjoy them in any which way.
Crisps with Walnut Pate and Avocado Guacamole
I loved these airy crisps, and both dips were really fresh, and very different. I wouldn't have thought to pair them, but they really did go nicely together.
Fried Chicken with Rice and Collard Greens
As always, love their chicken because it's well seasoned and SUPER crispy. My only complaint is that it is bit messy because the batter just kind of falls off.
Fried Chicken and Waffles
A smaller portion of chicken with a waffle. I love the gravy, though I wish it was served a bit hotter.
Meatloaf with rice
A huge portion of meatloaf, but a satisfying thick gravy with the right amount of jerk spice.
Jerked Chicken with rice and collard greens
Another generous portion of chicken, this time with a perfectly spiced glaze.
Mac and Cheese side
I love their mac and cheese here. It's some of the best I have had in a restaurant because its not just a plain old bechamel sauce. It tastes like there's real cheese all throughout the sauce and baked on top. If I had any suggestions, I would say I would like more of a breadcrumb topping... but I really cannot complain with this dish.
So, like I said, Harlem is not the place for counting calories.. you really just need to accept the indulgence and enjoy it because you aren't going to get fried chicken every day, not in Canada at least. So all of the above dishes plus 1 pop, and 5 beers, the bill was $165 including tax and tip. Not bad if you ask me, and thoroughly enjoyed.
This place without a doubt has the best mussels that I have ever tasted, the Mississippi Masala Mussels with the Coconut curry is not to be missed. The service is excellent and the servers are more than happy to recommend dishes according to individual preferences. All the dishes we ordered were top notch, with filling quantities and exceeded all our expectations. The catfish lafayette was another appetizer that was great. The pricing is moderate and the ambiance is cozy.
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Round two of Winterlicious! My friend and I went to Harlem Underground (745 Queen Street West) for a Tuesday dinner. We had been here before and my friend was really craving chicken and waffles! You can search up their Winterlicious menu offerings here ($15 for lunch; $25 for dinner).
It wasn’t particularly cold that day (by Toronto winter standards) so we walked from Osgoode station for about 20-30 minutes. The restaurant is located near the Queen Street West and Bathurst intersection, and there are streetcars that run in both directions. The restaurant opens at 4pm from Monday to Wednesday, and we were the first ones there. A lot of the tables were reserved!
01. Appetizer:CATFISH LAFAYETTE seasoned deep fried morsels of catfish served with a sweet chili hot sauceYummy! It’s probably not hard to please with deep fried anything. I liked how soft and light the catfish was. Both sauces were great, but I preferred the ketchupy-mayo combo to the sweet chili sauce. My friend ordered the cornbread which was sweet and warm.
02. Main:CAJUN SMOKED SIDE RIBS served with collared greens & seasoned basmati riceHaving had the Southern Chicken & Waffles before (so good and so decadent), I decided to try something different. The ribs were seasoned nicely, and cooked so tenderly! The meat came off the bones so easily. I could have had a little more rice and greens, but that was more from being overwhelmed with so much meat than being hungry, lol.
Judging from the chicken & waffles that my friend ordered, this place serves their regular-sized dishes for Winterlicious – awesome! As is becoming habit, I had to take a portion of this dish with me to go.
03. Dessert:MANGO CREAM TART tart, tropical and tasty I love mango! I was surprised to see this on the menu and kind of unsure how it would turn out, but ended up being very happy with it. It’s fairly small – a perfect size to cap such a rich and heavy meal. My friend ordered the plantains (her first time trying them!) and had to take her leftovers home.
Once again, I enjoyed eating at Harlem Underground. There’s a divey kind of atmosphere to the place, but not in a negative way. The service isn’t perfect, but thankfully we didn’t encounter any of the terribleness that other reviewers have. It’s not a place I would frequent, especially given the prices in their regular menu, but definitely a good place to go if you’re seeking to satisfy a chicken & waffles craving~
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