Essie's Restaurant & Lounge

The food was great the young man was professional and polite but he took along time checking on the table

Listen, I literally just came from eating at Essie's and this is BY FAR the best food I've ever eaten from a restaurant! Service 20/20, food 20/20, drinks 20/20, atmosphere 20/20, jazz music that covered r&b music 20/20, black owned 20/20!

Said they were open on Friday night but when we got here, they were closed even though they posted on IG they were open. A friend traveled from North Jersey to celebrate a birthday and we ended up going elsewhere.

Our dinner at Essie’s was excellent! We didn’t realize that it was Open Mic Night but were treated to some fine, professional-sounding soul singers during our dinner.

Most importantly, the food was superb. I had a blackened salmon dish that I will remember for a long time, fresh, flavorful, and just the right amount of “zing”. The sweet potato chips that came with the salmon were wonderful, as well.

The complementary hush puppies that came out to start our meal were also terrific, bursting with flavor.

The place has a lounge-y but somewhat minimalist feel, casual, but fun and welcoming.

Welcoming & inviting staff. Delicious hush puppies & Deviled Egg with Shrimp.

Omg to be around the corner from my house, I love this low key place. BIG UPD TO DIANA for taking care of us. Music and food is so GOOD, flavor is on point!

Great atmosphere and great food

Absolutely Outstanding from Start to Finish!

My wife and I just had one of the most satisfying dining experiences we’ve ever had—100% pleased across the board. Every single dish was a standout.

We started with the hush puppies, which had a deep, complex flavor that was nothing short of tremendous. The Cobb salad was packed with the freshest ingredients, chopped fine just the way I like it—crisp, balanced, and refreshing.

The crawfish bread came smothered in an absolutely excellent sauce that brought it all together beautifully. The lemon pepper wings were fall-off-the-bone tender with just the right kick. And the collard greens? Hands down the best I’ve ever had—rich, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The same goes for the sautéed kale—it was exceptional.

For entrées, the red snapper was cooked to perfection, flaky and tender, served over a bed of rice with a flavorful pepper spread that elevated every bite. And the NY strip steak—a true highlight—cooked perfectly to temperature, with just the right amount of salt and pepper to let the quality of the meat shine.

This meal was a masterclass in Southern-inspired cooking done right. We will absolutely be back. Five stars, no question!

Our server, Diana, was AMAZING! She was very accommodating and attentive. I loved everything that she recommended to us.❤️ Here’s a photo of the shrimp and grits that I ordered. Bottomless mimosas are $25/person!!

Best branzino i’ve ever had. Deviled eggs should be named heavenly eggs because they sent me to heaven. so good. the expresso martinis are fantabulous. Not to mention the service is A-1. This is a neighborhood gem. i recommend this place and i’ll be coming back again and again. Thanks Essie’s for the wonderful saturday evening. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ate here tonight with my brother and we were both blown away. The food, the service, and the atmosphere were all fantastic. 100% recommend.

I had the lamp chops with the fried rice and Brussels sprouts and everything was delicious. It was my first time there and I can’t wait to go back.

The food here is impressive. The service would have been better. The atmosphere was good.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Wings, Seafood Gumbo

We had an amazing time at Essie’s! We started with the firecracker shrimp, wings, and crawfish bread, all were delicious. For the main course, we tried the ribeye, NY strip, seafood gumbo, and shrimp tacos, and everything was fantastic. The ribeye was perfectly cooked and incredibly tender, while the gumbo was packed with flavor and loaded with seafood. The shrimp tacos were fresh and generous, and the NY strip was spot-on too. The margaritas were top-notch—refreshing and strong, just the way we like them!

The service was outstanding—friendly, attentive, and really made the experience even better. We happened to visit on a Wednesday, which was karaoke night, and it was such a fun addition! The DJ was great, and the local talent was impressive. The whole vibe was lively and very enjoyable.

I highly recommend checking out Essie’s!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Wings, Seafood Gumbo, Chicken Wings, Hush Puppies with Popcorn Butter

We went on a Saturday night to celebrate a friends birthday. The staff and our waitress were very friendly, DJ was on point but our server wasn’t great at her job she didn’t check back with us , never did any refills or asked how we were. I ordered the half smashed chicken and it was very dry and parts of it were hard beyond consumption…they also don’t allow you to substitute your sides which I’ve never experienced that. My chicken came with Kale which I don’t eat and was told I can’t substitute it for another side I needed to pay an additional $8 for any other side of my choice so I did ordered the greens but I didn’t like them they were chopped too fine drowning in some sore of soupy hot sauce mixture, but my the garden salads were very fresh. There was 5 of us and only 1 person enjoyed their food. Maybe it was an off night or there wasn’t enough help in the kitchen but this was not it, especially for $330.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3