The Porch

The jazz brunch is a total vibe and well worth going. Food is on the pricey side but worth it for the experience. Service just depends on which server you get. They always have great music!

So here are the problems that I encountered. Before I begin, I'd like to indicate that I've been blessed to be able to explore hundreds of restaurants throughout the city. I went to the porch a few times to give it a shot since it recently opened but had some horrible experiences. I brought a date on a Friday one week for dinner and drinks easily going over $100. The problem is that we both ordered 2 cans of beer and it took 20 min to receive it. Worse yet is that our server literally stopped to talk to her coworkers etc. while my date and I could see the beers we wanted in the fridge. When I brought this to her attention she gave me attitude which was shocking considering the fact that I had every reason to be upset. This wasn't the first time that this happened but also the 2nd and 3rd time. What the owner needs to realize is that I never went back for this reason and simply went to Harlem Public and other places on Broadway. The final nail in the coffin is that my date said the same thing and finished our date by saying "I never want to come back to this place, let's get out of here and stop wasting our money."

Our waiter was very kind, but the food was absolutely awful and I would never come back just for that simple fact. Im sure if you want to come have a beer and listen to live music this place would be fine, but my friends and I were starving and were completely let down.

I took my father to this restaurant for Father's Day. We chose this venue because it was close to home, near the neighborhood where my father grew up, and most of the reviews that I read about it were positive. We arrived a bit earlier than our reservation but the greeter didn't seem to mind. However, he told us that there were only two tables available, one in front of the band, who would be playing later, and one in the back of the room directly in front of the service window. Since my dad is 91, sitting in front of the band would have been a bit too loud for him so we chose the table in the back. Once we were seated, our server poured us two glasses of room temperature water; no ice. I soon realized that we made the wrong choice of tables because everyone who walked behind me gave my seat a slight bump. While we were deciding what to eat, I ordered a piña colada. Now most piña coladas I've ordered in the past were of the frozen variety, with little ice crystals and a cherry or pineapple garnish. Not this one. I got rum, pineapple juice and a little coconut juice (I think) over big cubes of ice. But I must admit, they did not skimp on the rum. My dad does not eat red meat and I was hoping that there were some fish/seafood items to choose from. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to see the menu prior to our arrival because we found that the seafood options were few. Most of the offerings were either smoked or between two pieces of bread. One of the few entrees that did not fall into this category was the fried catfish and grits, which we both ordered. Cue Spongebob's "40 minutes later". Still no food. My dad, who was facing the service window, remarked that the cook could use a little help. Finally our plates arrived. One more pour of room temperature water and the bottle was taken away. Each plate had one piece of catfish cut into two pieces and a bowl of grits sprinkled with what appeared to be paprika. The catfish was cooked a bit too long and the grits were undercooked and very salty (neither of us had more than maybe 3 forkfulls at best). My dad also ordered some type of sweetened sliced carrots. At the end of our meal I asked our server for the check. Now I noticed that other patrons received their checks in a small billfold so that they could insert their credit card and hand it back to the server. Not us. Our server went to the register, printed the tape and dropped it on our table. She also asked if we could make a donation for the band, who had just begun to perform. "Totally optional", she said. I gave her my card and she rung up the sale. She then proceeded to tend to other tasks around the restaurant. I flagged her down and asked for my receipt. "Oh, you wanted a receipt?" I gave her a blank stare. The band, a quartet featuring bass, keyboard, drummer and vocalist, was not bad. Too bad we couldn't stay long enough for the rest of their set because we wanted the catch the fish-n-chip shop across the street before they closed.

Enjoyed my chicken and waffles Live music was nice. Will definitely go back.

The food is soooooo good but unfortunately the service is really not the best. It takes way too long for the servers/host to acknowledge your presence & food takes forever to come out. The staff is kind but it just doesn’t make up for the pace of service. Twice now I’ve had to ask for a box by the time my food got to the table.