Heart ‘n Soul

This place closed already. There go the oxtails. FML!

Ave B Just Got Some Serious Soul Food. Deep-​cut Southern soul food in Alphabet City.
If you’ve been missing Mama’s Food Shop, don’t, because Heart n’ Soul just opened in the same East Village space to serve you ridiculously authentic soul food once eaten by people who’re presumably nothing but souls themselves now, seeing as it’s based on recipes from the 1800s.

This place is totally closed permanently. Not even the decency to change the answering message, or Facebook page, etc. Waste of a trip.

this place is hella closed. like. closed. if someone don’t answer and say «yes we are open we have food.» do not go.

I placed an order with Seamless and Heart ‘n Soul sent an email confirming the order. It never showed up. The phone number for the restaurant is inactive. Seamless was not able to contact the manager. What is up with this place? Disappointing.

Simply fantastic. The food here was more than delicious and fantastic value for money, and every plate had an interesting twist on a familiar comfort food dish. I highly recommend this gem in Alphabet City!

Did you guys go out of business already? I would say it’s because of your menu. In MY neighborhood we don’t take too kindly to big expensive plates without the option of a $ 14 meal. Fried chicken and 2 sides. DO IT.
You don’t have to be the comfort food version of Fonda or Cortadito! (those places draw bad attention to our ‘hood, ya dig!!)

Call first before you go. Tried to go here tonight with a friend because I’m from Alabama and I love me some comfort food. And I’ve heard good things about the place from fellow southerners. BUT there was a note on the front door saying that the place was unexpectedly closed for the night.
Want to go back when it’s open!

I was really sad to see Mama’s go. It was great home cooking, made some of the best fried chicken Id ever had and was BYOB, but then I heard the Landlord jacked up their rent and has opened his own restaurant.
My roommate and I stopped in to try it out. I didnt want to like it because I missed Mama’s so much, but Heart n Soul made some of the best southern food Id had.
To start we got the mac n cheese and chickn and dumplings, both were specials, and both seasoned really well, and when mixed were even better.
We also got the meatloaf and shrimp n grits. the meatloaf was good, but the shrimp and grits were amazing. I normally HATE grits but these were the best ive ever had and were the best thing I ate all night.
The servers and manager were really helpful and made sure we had a great time. As nice as you can possibly get at a restaurant.
So long story short. I didnt want to like Heart n soul, cause the owner killed Mama’s but i was really glad we stopped in and tried it. The food and service are excellent and Im really glad we stopped in to try it.
Im also excited to try there carry out section, which has an expanded menu, with a choice of a meat and 3 sides.
Great food. Great service.

New place, comfort food… had to check it out.
Brand new… love that.
Comfort food is the vibe, but flavor is the story.
Started with Poutine because i’m from N.J. and that’s how we roll.
Smokin’ Chicken — was very good, amazing flavor on the skin
Chef’s Veggie — asparagus — really good
then
Mac & Cheese — like 5 kinds of delicious cheese, great taste and not sloppy
Chefs Meatloaf w mash potatoes — so something like cinnamon or something not sure but it was amazing
All in all i was really impressed with the flavor of the food and that all the food had separate flavors.
So the staff was great too, met everyone.
My only disappointment was they don’t have alcohol yet… and that they show two kinds of pork belly on the website but had none when i ate there.
Yes i cried a little.
I will be back to let them make amends on both.

This place just opened up, and I had to try it. Soul food they say? lets see.
Appetizers:
–potato chips: I think these were home made, at least thats what I thought. very generous portion, and they had some kind of topping on it. not bad
–french fry poutine: basically fries with gravy. the fries are like shake shack fries, and I couldn’t stop eating this
Main course:
–shrimp and grits: man the grits were so creamy and amazing. almost like mashed potatoes, but a lot better. shrimp was really fresh too
–oxtail with grits: NOW who ever wrote that the oxtail was rough, are you kidding me? the meat was FALLING off the bone, and was one of most savory things I’ve eaten here in nyc. I would go back just to try this
–meatloaf: need to go back and try this
Dessert:
–banana cream pie: not bad. tasted like bananas, and it was alright, but had sorta of a bitterness aftertaste. not sure why though.
–pecan pie: didn’t really like this because it was just too pecany and had that bitter taste. I thought it would be something like you would get at whole foods. but maybe what they served was authentic pecan pie? I’d pass on this one.
Summary:
–service was great, the chef comes out and speaks to you
–décor: not bad, but i cant’ think of the words to describe it right now. but overall really casual
–food: presentation was nice, and food was delicious!

This place is awesome. Just opened about 3 weeks ago, and you can tell they are a new restaurant (no alcohol yet, not very busy…). However, when it comes to service and food — SPOT ON. We had poutine, the oxtail, and shrimp & grits. Even though the grits are very well reviewed, I didn’t think they would blow me away. But OMG — I’m planning the next time I can come back. So. much. flavor. My friend loves oxtail and kept raving about her dish.
Also, the chef came over while we were eating to make sure everything was good. It was a nice touch — I don’t think that has happened to me during the 13 years I’ve been living in this city. We received a slice of banana cream pie at the end (on the house). Hands down, the best & richest banana cream pie I’ve ever had. And I take that seriously.

Heart ‘n Soul is definitely going to be a new go-​to spot for me. My friends and I had the best experience at this Southern eatery. The restaurant is small and cozy, offering 5-​star Southern cooking. I would definitely recommend getting the shrimp and grits. I’m a connoisseur of the stuff and this meal was some of the best I’ve had. I also got to taste the meatloaf, and it is amazing as well. We also got the banana cream pie to share at the end of our meal. Delicious!
This Southern girl couldn’t have been more pleased with Heart ‘n Soul. Check it out!

I’ve never written a Unilocal review before but WOW this place absolutely deserves it. In short…
Food: AMAZING
Staff: AMAZING
I went with a few girlfriends to kickoff celebrating my birthday and turned out that two of us were running really late leaving my other two friends waiting for us at the restaurant. They were kindly offered grits & gumbo as well as house fries compliments of the chef while they waited. Once my friend and I arrived, the chef brought us our own grits & gumbo — these were the BEST grits I have ever eaten and the gumbo on top was delicious as well. Check this item off the list of things I will be ordering again.
For dinner, half of us decided to go with the shrimp & grits while the other half picked the meatloaf. Both were out of this world! The meatloaf had a subtle brown sugar flavor and was over deliciously smooth mashed potatoes with a breaded tomato sauce on top that made the whole dish amazing. The shrimp & grits were all that you would hope for as well. With the same delicious grits from the gumbo and perfectly seasoned shrimp, I could not have been a happier camper. Two more items to add to the order again list.
To close out the evening, the staff came out singing «Happy Birthday» to me with a slice of banana crème pie. The pie was delicious and the staff so sweet! All in all, this is an absolutely amazing spot with friendly staff and delicious food. I ABSOLUTELY will be coming back many times over and highly recommend you to do the same!

They didn’t have the oxtail the night I went. Grits were pretty amazing, so was the Swiss chard but the shortribs were very tough. The waiter was confused when I asked what kind of cola they had since the menu didn’t specify it was Boylan’s. They should put a sign on the restroom! I would go back if the prices were a bit more reasonable,

The food here was pretty good. The chef was super nice and even gave us free appetizers of what he has for breakfast which seemed to be grits with a hearty soup on top. My boyfriend and I had the oxtail. My boyfriend had the chef’s starch & grits. I had grits & jollof rice.
The jollof rice was okay, since I’m Nigerian I think I have higher standards. I like mine spicy and this is anything but. Not bad, just not spicy. The grits were creamy and really filling. The space is really nice, but a little small. If it starts to get crowded, you’ll pretty much be touching knees with people. Décor is nice enough.
Our waitress was super nice and I’m upset I forget her name. She has pink colored hair and she was really accommodating with our substitutions. She also convinced us to get the banana cream pie with the toffee crust which was great. I believe they rotate desserts, but if you ever get the chance, do it.
Lastly, they offer a free well drink at Mama’s (since there’s no liquor license yet), which is a small dive bar, if you show your receipt from here. The bartenders don’t seem knowledgeable about their own special drinks so it’s not my type of place, but if you’re interested *shrug*

This food is a must! They’re just now opening, and they need to be on your radar. They don’t have a liq. License yet, so call to inquire about what’s allowed (a friendly, albeit youthful, Alphabet-​ish bar «Mama’s» is within sipping distance). That being said, when I dined, there was «swee-​tea» or bottled water that sufficed. Make no mistake: the food is the star. The Meatloaf is not to be ignored, and the okra was perfectly prepared and seasoned. The Shrimp and Grits will have the deepest-​dyed-​in-​the-​wool Yankee talkin’ ’bout slappin’ his granny! I’m from Vermont, so I wasn’t raised on «Lo-​Country,» or «Soul» food, but what I know is when a chef cares, and that there is to what I hereby testify. Y’all betta getcha some!

I love this place. The food is incredible, the chef creating truly inspired soul food with a delicious twist of African spices. Amazing what he can do with everything from oxtail to simple collard greens to shrimp and grits (which was my personal favorite). The room is simple and intimate, with a beautiful old stamped tin ceiling, and the host lends the whole experience a genteel southern charm that’s as authentic as the food. Put this one on your short list of new restaurants to try this month.

The food is amazing!!!
I was there the other day and I got a nice table by the piano guts hanging on the wall.
It was a busy night but the staff was prompt, friendly and knowledgeable :)
The best of the menu: oxtail and shrimp & grits.
will be there soon but this time I won’t forget to order dessert.

Wow. I won’t even begin to describe the amazing meal me and a group of friends had there this weekend. Just suffice to say that this is not the soul food you expect to get, and it’s all the better for it. Expect to be surprised and satisfied with each bite. Seriously memorable food. Get here quick before word gets out and the line is out the door. Recommendations: oxtail, shrimp and grits, meatloaf (!!!), and the short ribs. Get to it EV!