Abistro

EVERYONE GO TO ABISTRO RIGHT NOW, THEY’RE CLOSING AT THE END OF THE MONTH AHHHHHHH OEFIJWV;EORGW9FEJ!!!
went last night to say goodbye. food was amazing as always. also discovered (a little too late) that they make awesome spicy bloody maries.
still can’t figure out why they’re closing (slow kitchen? not enough business? cranky owners?), but we said our goodbyes (by eating a shitton of senegalese fried chicken, plaintain gnocchi, and burgers) and had shots with our waiter.
go now before it’s gone forever.

Came here for brunch with a friend and my fiancé, and I’m so glad I did. The service was friendly, prompt and knowledgeable; the space was cute and airy; the food was delicious and, quite frankly, beautiful; the owner/​chef came over to chat with us, and to welcome my fiancé to the country (even giving him advice) – even though it was the first time le fiancé and me had ever been to the restaurant.
If you’re interested in haute Senegalo-​fusion cuisine, great music, and friendly folks, I HIGHLY recommend Abistro. So many people had been recommending this place to me, and I wish I’d come sooner. I can’t wait to go back!

Nice atmosphere and chill staff, but the food was kind of disappointing because it was way too salty. We ordered the senegalese fried chicken and falafel encrusted salmon.
Senegalese fried chicken — Chicken was dry and the mustard dijon sauce was really overpowering all the other flavors in the dish. Collard greens were good, but nothing special. The pineapple flavored jasmine rice cake was the STAR of the show. It was almost like a dessert. I would just eat that alone.
Falafel encrusted Salmon — Was told the salmon is usually cooked to medium, which is how I usually prefer it, so I was fine. But the end product was really overcooked and bland. The fingerling potatoes, baby bokchoy, and other stuff were extremely salty.
My first experience left me really disappointed, because I REALLY looked forward to coming to Abistro and was so excited to try Senegalese food for the first time.

Hmmmm… what can I say about this place. The apps were great! The suggested ginger hot-​tawdy not a good decision nor was the Senegalese fried chicken. The chicken was seasoned ok, but was not cooked well. The greens were lovely as was the salsa. This according to the waitstaff was there signature dish. Too many options around to go back for ok food.

When my friend told me that she was taking me to a Sengalese restaurant for dinner, I got super excited. «When I was in 5^th grade and I had to do a report on African countries, my country was Senegal!» I told her excitedly.
But I digress.
I really wish I didn’t come here with a mildly upset stomach, because I definitely would’ve been able to appreciate everything a lot better. I ordered the Pepe Soup thinking it would be light, but it was a bit heavier than I thought and came with a great amount of seafood: mussels, some type of fish (the server told me it was a cousin of catfish), and boneless fish filet mixed in this spicy stew. There were also two pieces of bread to dip in the soup. The dish was so flavorful that it stole the night, because the other dishes that my friends ordered tasted almost bland compared to the Pepe Soup. I took it home because I couldn’t finish all of it, but when I had it for breakfast the next morning it was just as delicious.
The plantain gnocchi that I had as an appetizer was also really good. Sweet & cinnamonny, but not too much to make you full before your meal.
The server was incredibly nice and friendly. He made sure to answer all of our questions (I had a LOT because I didn’t know what half the dishes were) and described in full detail what was in each of the dishes I asked about.
I wish I lived in NY so that I could go back again!

The Carlton Location was a gem — loved the vibe, intimacy, open kitchen, and food. I visited the DeKalb spot shortly after they opened there (a few months ago) and was very disappointed. The kitchen was slow. We waited a long time for our entrees. The food wasn’t as delicious as it used to be, and worst of all… my chicken was sitting on a large piece of plastic (palm sized). I still can’t figure what it was and how someone could have overlooked that.
Because we had waited so long for the entrees, we declined the server’s offer to bring a replacement — I was tired and didn’t want to wait another 20 – 30 minutes (after my boyfriend had finished his food).
We have not gone back and have no plans to — especially with much better restaurant options in the neighborhood.
(also overpriced!)

One word to describe my meal — SUPERB!!!
Everything we had the pleasure of tasting delicious and unique in flavor. The service was super attentive, personable and their bartender can make some AWESOME drinks!!! (hellllooooo sorrel mimosa)
They had a 25 $ dinner special that included a salad, ½ of their fried chicken entrée and bread pudding dessert with ice cream. Great value considering their prices aren’t cheap.
Every single one of these dishes is delicious:
— Plantain gnocchi
— House salad
— Duck confit entrée
— Senegalese fried chicken
— Spicy bread pudding
I’m also dying to try their falafel encrusted salmon.
Overall a wonderful experience, I can’t wait to go back!!!

These folks are making some very unique, delicious food. I wish I were able to break down the Senegalese fried chicken plate sauce, but I just can’t. The fried jasmine rice cake has a very strong, sweet, floral flavor to it. The salsa has just the right balance of heat and actual flavor, and the chicken is tender and juicy. You just have to try it.
I felt $ 22 for the dish was about right — it’s a big portion, and a one-​of-​a-​kind flavor experience. If you’re on a budget, my companion discovered that they will put that magical salsa on a $ 14 loss-​leader grass-​fed burger, just ask.
I did have a few peripheral quibbles with this place. The music inside is too loud, and also consisted entirely of Tracy Chapman the last time I was there. The food we ordered (two mains) took 30m+ to prepare, and the menu addendum of specials contained no prices — when we asked, they turned out to be outrageous ($ 13 for a plantain appetizer — seeing the look on our faces, the waiter walked back to $ 10, which in some ways just made it worse — I don’t come to a restaurant to negotiate, and I don’t like the feel of unlisted pricing at all).
Overall, recommend.

Without a doubt some of the best food I’ve had in a restaurant ever. Though because of my vegetarianism (I’m making it sound like a disease) my options were somewhat limited, the veggie plate was awesome with the pineapple rice cake being the star of the dish. My homegirl ordered a second one she loved it so much. What I like about the Veggie Plate is that it fills you up without your feeling TOO heavy, which is fantastic.
I also got an opportunity to finally meet the owners and they’re really cool, down home people.
Now the prices here ain’t cheap but the food is actually worth it especially for a special occasion. While I feel the décor can ramp up the Senegalese aspect of the restaurant, its still classy enough that I don’t mind the foible. I’ll definitely return.

READ THIS!!!
Some facts:
–My wife and I frequented Abistro’s Carlton Ave. location numerous times over the 9 years we’ve lived in Brooklyn
–We loved it. We celebrated our first anniversary there. We frequently took out of town guests there and took groups of local friends there. We have dined there about 12 times over the years
–Our first time visiting the new location on Dekalb Ave. on 6÷17÷2012 (the subject of this review) was after a somewhat lengthy hiatus (8 months or so)
–The old location was very special. The new one isn’t. The new location lacks everything the old one had. The old location had excellent, friendly service and the space was cozy, intimate, and you felt like you were dining in someone’s home. Not to mention the fact that the old location was BYOB and the new one isn’t.
Our Experience:
My wife and I took two close friends out to dinner. The food was excellent, as it always has been. Our bill was $ 146 including tax. I had a $ 50 gift certificate given to me by a friend. The certificate was issued on April 15, 2011 by Abistro and had the owner’s (Cassandra) signature on it as well as the last four digits of the credit card used to purchase it and the dollar value printed on it. There was no expiration date printed anywhere on the certificate.
A gentleman named Johnny Amos returned a few minutes later and announced to our table that the owner (Cassandra), who he had just spoke to on the phone, was not honoring the gift certificate because it was purchased over a year ago. Naturally, we were shocked! There was no expiration date printed anywhere on the certificate. We were dining at the same restaurant (in name and ownership) the certificate was issued for. The certificate was issued at the Carlton Ave. address before the new location even existed and obviously there was nothing stating it had to be used at only the Carlton Ave. address.
I argued our points (which seem exceedingly straightforward) and Mr. Amos proceeded to lecture us…
I quote: «just for your information, a gift certificate should be redeemed within a year» REALLY? Is this an unwritten rule? A social norm? If no expiration is printed on the certificate who is to say that use 14 months later is more or less valid than 7 months later?
I quote: «why did it take you over a year to use the gift certificate? You should have used it earlier» again… completely irrelevant! There’s no expiration date! I don’t read minds! It doesn’t concern you why I chose to use the certificate on this particular visit! There is nothing to state that I cannot!
By this time, I was livid. Not only because of what I was being told, but also because of the attitude and the way in which he spoke to us… as if we were some imbeciles who weren’t aware of his boss’s arbitrary «gift certificate etiquette». He reassured me that the gift certificate I handed him «looked authentic» (I swear, the man had the nerve to insinuate that I would have handed him a counterfeit gift certificate!) and confirmed that it was, indeed, the current owner’s handwriting and signature on the certificate, but maintained that we should have used it earlier and we were being unreasonable to expect them to honor it now.
I was fuming by this time. Mr. Amos was becoming increasingly defensive and stated, «look, I’m on your side, but just for your information, a gift certificate (referring to all gift certificates) should be redeemed within a year.» I beg to differ. Our side or not, Mr. Amos has some serious work to do on his interpersonal skills and attitude. We had never been spoken to in that manner by a restaurant employee or proprietor of any business before. He called the owner for a second time and this time returned with the correct bill ($ 50 off our bill). I tipped 20% on the FULL amount ($ 146) despite everything we had just been through (our waitress obviously had nothing to do with Cassandra’s and Mr. Amos’s bone head policies and customer service skills) and we left.
In closing, I am baffled that people can be so short-​sighted and make such ridiculous arguments for why a gift certificate would not be honored. I feel sorry for Cassandra’s utter lack of common sense. It disgusts me that a business would treat any customer in this manner, let alone loyal return customers. It disgusts me that I have actually interacted with both Cassandra, (if she is who I think she is based on our numerous previous visits to the old location), and her husband Abdul (co-​owner and sous chef) and thought they were warm and friendly people who ran a superb restaurant.
If you want fantastic food, you’ll get it at Abistro. If you are mindful of what it means to support a local, small business with your patronage, please keep this story in mind. My wife and I will not be returning and neither will our friends. It saddens me that this experience will be the last memory of a place filled with so many great one

Probably the best new restaurant I’ve discovered in a long, long time. The waiter recommended an excellent Rioja that paired perfectly with my wife’s veggie burger (which, to her delight, was served on a golden toasted challah bun) and with my Senegalese chicken.
The burger was delicious. It didn’t pretend to be meat. It was a mouthful of deliciously combined and cooked vegetables. Her fries were nice, and spicy, as well.
My chicken was phenomenal. It arrived on some hot, steaming collards drizzled with a sesame/​tahini dressing, and a steaming cake of pineapple, coconut, and jasmine rice.
To start she had the house salad, which, with the perfectly sauteed jumbo shrimp, could have been an entrée, and I had the calamari. Next time I’ll skip the squid. It’s fine, but tastes like bar food, not like the amazing flavors of everything else.
A jazz quartet filled the sub-​street-​level space with a really nice vibe. Great spot. Loved it.

Owners please read to improve your restaurant because the moment you thought to expand and create a new location you pretty much shot yourselves in the foot. You ruined something that was special on carlton and was good business for you.
**Why do people always change something that is already good?
Constructive remarks and experience
Here’s why.
1.) NO BYOB. The main selling point besides the food. It was the heart, soul and draw of your restaurant. That was why you were so popular. Your old restaurant had excellent food plus the great BYOB which is rare in New York. Now that you’re charging for drinks. You’re NOT special anymore. Now you’re competing with all the other restaurants who charge for drinks. Frankly I rather go to other places now. I am sure most people agree too and won’t waste time writing on Unilocal to tell you the truth.
2.) Carlton Abistro restaurant had the exotic vibe, small and mysterious atmosphere. For a moment I felt like I was not in US. The fact its small creates demand when you’re full house at night. The NEW abistro is hollow, feels empty, with no african feel or vibe at all. Place is very far from africa, badly decorated, chairs, tables etc. It feels like a restaurant chain. That’s bad.
Where’s the African or foreign feel?
3.) Price increase.
Rent is probably 10x more and thus the price increase, plus you have to work so much harder to fill the place up.
4.) Quality of food is not as great as Carltons. Fluke maybe? The combination restaurant experience just wasn’t there.
5.) Simply, my server had a hipster very american look, «Hey ya what’s up» personality… um No. I mean I know you can’t hire based on race, but at least the overall dress or personality should somewhat reflect abistro.
Solution to save Abistro from going up in flames in the future.
***Bring back BYOB, restaurant makeover, vibe, feel needs to change. The pricing (I know you can’t really change cause of the new rent). Server change maybe?
The food you should definitely make it better than Carltons. Add more tasty dishes or create better sauces. Trust me people will constantly compare your old place that made you successful. It needs more incentive for people to come back.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. This is the order of the diffusion of my meal. It’s THAT good and it hits you everywhere. My friend and I came here on an early Friday evening and we were the first so we had an option of where we wanted to be seated. The bartender and waiter were both very friendly as soon as we arrived. When the waiter was reading the specials to us for the night, the chef greeted us and gave further details. I thought that was a nice touch.
My friend ordered the trout that came with fingerling potatoes and I had the infamous Senegalese fried chicken. If I wasn’t trying to act real fancy pants that night I would have licked the plate clean because that sauce was THAT to die for. The portions were awesome, flavor was ridiculous and my tummy was happy.
This is an awesome restaurant with spectacular food and service.

Whee! Loved the old abistro, and as someone else mentioned, the new place is much bigger (which is good bc my bf refused to return to the old one bc he felt so cramped) but it lacks the character and charm of the old place. Oh well. Either way, I am glad they are in business and I can enjoy the lovely food here at abistro.
The food is awesome, perfectly done, altho my joloff was a tad salty for me — but still super yummy. Drinks are great too. The only reason I didnt give 5 stars is that this place is a bit pricey especially with the drinks, so I wont be able to come as often as I’d like. The fried chicken isnt really fried like you would think — more like pan fried not a deep fried and breaded situation and it sounds kind of boring (I usually hate chicken) but it isnt — it is perfectly juicy, tender, and flavorful. I think maybe the best menu choice.

We wanted to try a type of food we’ve never tried before… and trust me, we’re super adventurous foodies. So… for another great dinner date in NYC, we decided to hit up our fave borough of NYC: Brooklyn for some African food!
We were going to dine at the original location, I believe it’s quite close by to this one. But since this one was newer with less reviews on Unilocal we assumed it wouldn’t be as packed. And we assumed correctly! No wait, means happy foodie campers! :)
The place was dimly lit with small tea candles on each table, it seemed a bit more upscale than I thought… and I was pretty much dressed super casual (w/​my booty lift tennis shoes on!). But the host greeted us very nicely and we got seated promptly.
The menu isn’t as crazy as we thought it would be… it seemed more like the food was African-like…but the chef seemed very authentic so who knows… maybe African food is supposed to be fancy schmancy.
Appetizer: Calamari (came with some fried jalapenos sitting on top of this crispy, airy wafery bread thing)…most interesting and flavorful calamari I’ve had!
My entrée: Fried chicken w/​collard greens & jasmine rice cakes. Everything on my plate was delish (minus the horseradishy taste on my fried chicken — I hate horseradish!). The jasmine rice cakes were so sweet and sticky. :D
His entrée: Braised lamb shank w/​jalapeño grits and collard greens. Let’s just say, I should have ordered this!!! I got to taste some of his meal… and it was the bomb diggity!
We didnt’ stay for dessert because of course we knew Junior’s was only about a mile away, so we hiked there after for some yummy cheesecake.
Would I come back here? Ummm, yes please. But I’ll probably put on a sexy low cut dress and some f*ck-me heels next time. :)

Repeat after me… yummmmm! Ok, now that we have that straight, go, sit and order anything that you’d like. If you previously visited the original location, you won’t be dissapointed. This one has the same great service, same great food, and now has the great additions of a full bar and lots more space. During this visit, I had the mussels appetizer and the wings appetizers. Everything is just so flavorful. As an entrée within my party we had the Senegalese friend chicken, the Cornish hen, and the lamb shank. Feel free to order anything, but hands down the lamb shank is amazing!
Also, I am usually not a fan of menu drink specialty drink options, but the ones offered here are worth the try. I had a ginger margarita and was pretty impressed.
Will I be back… of course!

Abistro is the neighborhood restaurant I have always dreamt about. It’s cozy and chic. It has an unpretentious, relaxed, neighborhood kind of vibe (good music, unbelievably friendly wait staff, and somehow it seems like half of the folks dining there are regulars).
When we arrived on a rainy, chilly Wednesday evening around 8:45, the restaurant was fairly quiet (though it quickly filled up). Our waitress sung the praises of the Senegalese fried chicken which was more decadent than I can describe. It is served with wilted veggies in a Senegalese salsa — perhaps the best part of the entrée is the pineapple flavored jasmine rice cake. The chicken was flavorful, only mildly spicy and very tender. The salmon, served with bok choy and jalapeño and cheddar grits, was cooked to perfection. The flavors were almost more Asian inflected than I would have expected, the clean flavors that I would ordinarily associate with a Vietnamese dish coupled with rich smoky grits. This is one of those places where everything on the menu sounded amazing, and I look forward to sampling more next time. Dinner for two, without drinks, came to $ 51.
Extra points for an extremely veg friendly menu.

My friends and I were really excited that a new restaurant opened up on DeKalb and finally decided to come here for dinner a few nights ago. I’ve heard such great things about their original location, but have not had a chance to give it a try yet.
We started with the akara and salad, which was yummy. I really liked their dressing. It was flavorful, yet light. Then we shared the Senegalese fried chicken (which looks more like grilled chicken), pepe soup (seafood combo in a coconut based broth and a little kick), and the braised short rib special (the sauce was delicious). All of the dishes were tasty and perfectly cooked, but the chicken was my favorite. Everything that was on that plate paired so well together.
They lost points in their service though; it was pretty slow. Our waiter also did not bother explaining the desserts as we overheard another waitress doing (or I suspect she was the owner or someone higher up on the chain). We had the triple chocolate bread pudding. It tasted more like chocolate cake or a brownie, than bread pudding. Next time we’ll have to try the cornbread pudding. Had I known it was cornbread I would have ordered that instead, since I’ve never had that. I will definitely return to try other dishes, although I do not think it will be anytime soon since it is a bit on the pricier end. Which reminds me, for being a $$$ restaurant I expected the décor to be nicer or a bit fancier, for lack of a better word. It was plain and there was not much of an ambiance.

I was very impressed with their original location and so when I learnt about this new location, I happily came here with a friend for dinner.
This location is many times bigger than the original location, but on a Tuesday night at 9pm, there were only two tables dining. I do hope the business picks up. It isn’t as cozy or trendy as the original location and there was a stifling feeling in the main dining area. There are no open windows and the way the building is constructed, you can’t keep the door open. There is outdoor seating though. I will have to do that next time.
We started off with cocktails. In the summer, I really like having sorrel cocktails and just asked the bartender to whip me up something with sorrel and rum. No complaint there. The drink was strong and refreshing.
For appetizers, we had the aloko and braised octopus salad. I really enjoyed the braised octopus, it was tender and they were generous with their portions. The aloko is a plaintain dish which was accompanied by chipotle sauce. It was a sweet dish but very good.
For the main entre, I had the special. It was pan-​seared swai fish with fingerling potatoes and collard greens. The fish is light, sweet and flaky. It is a catfish from Vietnam. The fish was cooked to perfection and again the portion size was generous.
For dessert, I really wanted to try the Senegalese corn pudding but they were out. We opted for the peach cobbler special. Wow and wow. Topped with ice cream, it made for the perfect end to the perfect meal. I just had to find someone to roll me home!
The meal came to $ 90 with drinks, appertizers, entrees, and deserts. It was a feast for Kings… errr…Queens. This place does take credit cards and reservations. They also have a full bar. I highly recommend this place.

What a beautiful second location! My boyfriend and I enjoyed an outdoor brunch here two Saterdays ago. I had the omelet of the day which had short ribs and a Senegalese salsa. It was delicious. My boyfriend had his go-​to, the Senegalese fried chicken with spicy pancakes. I had a bite of course, and it was as good as I expected it to be. I also had a sorrel mimosa, which was unique and refreshing.
Upon entering to check out the interior and use the restroom, I noticed that this location has a full bar (he other Abistro is BYOB for the most part). I also noted the spacious, airy atmosphere with brightly colored walls and an overall beautiful décor.
We will be back!