As per most of my other recent reviews, I went to this Southern spot several months back. We went here after they had unexpectedly gone on the best new restaurants list having barely heard about the restaurant otherwise. The lighting was nice here and the staff was friendly giving good recommendations. They have ample space as well. The spot has a fun creative cocktail menu which are reasonably priced with some drinks having rather humorous names. I went with the A Complex Cocktail For Bitter People for $15 which is their take on a Negroni with roots of ruin gin, saffron liqueur, and vermouth di torino bianco which was excellent. The cocktail had a nice presentation with the vivid off yellow and the flower and it had a nice balance of bitterness, citrus, and herbal flavors. This was excellent though not on the current drink menu. They also had the opposite named A Bitter Cocktail For Complex People which was their take on a Manhattan along with plenty of other choices. As per usual for food, we split a lot of dishes. For smaller plates, my favorite was the Country Fried Baby Back Ribs for $16 with dill & vinegar and jezebel sauce. This sauce in question contains fruit jelly and combined with the dill and vinegar; it was a nice mix of sour and sweet with very tender ribs which weren't too heavily fried. Excellent. Also tasty was the Hush Puppies for $10 with jalapeno, cheddar, popcorn, and remoulade. They were lighter than expected with a little kick and the popcorn was fun for presentation. I think the remoulade should be on this side and not presented on top but I guess it's more artful that way. OK was the Crab Cake for $24 listed as corn flake crusted with whole grain mustard, radish, and herb salad. It was a bit pricey and the flavors didn't pop as much as the other appetizers. The mustard was a fun spin but perhaps don't order this as this is probably one of the only overpriced things on the menu outside of perhaps the steak. We ordered two main dishes; the Roasted Rib Cap and the Crispy 1/2 Chicken which were both fine. The former for $42 with bourbon worcestershire caramel consisted of a very tender steak though maybe a bit small. The sauce indeed had some sweetness but there was a bit of salt on the steak so it was pretty well balanced. The latter dish for $26 with`bama white sauce and herbs was solid. Tender fried chicken with a fun presentation. No real major complaints though I am not exactly sure if it is half a chicken (probably is though.) The restaurant is also known for it's desserts so we got both to share which are both $12. Of the two, my preference was the Key Lime Tart with toasted coconut and candied lime zest. I haven't had many good key lime tarts in the city and this was excellent as it wasn't too sour or sweet. The candied lime zest on top as well as the coconut just added extra pizzazz. I almost found the latter Banana Pudding Tart with caramel and vanilla wafers to be a bit worse. It was well presented as per the other dessert and it was plenty rich but it was perhaps a bit too sweet with the amount of caramel they put on top. This is a fun spin on Southern food which isn't exactly a cuisine you find commonly enhanced. The desserts and appetizers were definitely better than the entrees but the entrees weren't too shabby either. Upper 3/low 4.
JP P.
This is a great spot! The food was on point. The service was good and they had a great Pilsner on tap! The greens, the fried green tomato, and the chicken were all hittin! Perfect place for a relaxing dinner with friends, work or a date. The key lime pie is a showstopper!
Jeremiah E. Tucker
Don’t skip the ribs. Deep fried, tender, juicy, flaky, crispy, zesty. With pineapple sauce. ???? cocktails are also excellent and staff is very sweet … but the ribs ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tony R.
All the dishes we tried were terrific: the oysters, Artichoke, Black Gass Gnocchi which was delicious (you could taste the potatoes) even the Chicory insalata was good. On the desert since the Passion Fruit Chiboust was exceptional. Service was excellent and was the setting. We spent $309 plus tip including an $80 of wine. There is a nice bar called Portrait in the back. Reservations are recommended.
Cathy L.
Came here for ValDay dinner and can't wait to return. First, loved that it wasn't a prix fixe menu for Valentines Day. Double Props for that. The two of us shared the fried green tomatoes, brussel sprouts, ripped potatoes, crispy chicken and the pork. Everything was delicious. The brussels are not to be missed! My boyfriend loved the chicken. We couldn't stop picking at the ripped potatoes. The drinks were also so good. Out two favorites were the scarf weather and green tease. The green tease tastes like Arizona Green Tea! For dessert, we shared the banana pudding tart. Less banana than we expected but the crust was so tasty! Dinner was so good, I can't wait to return!
Mike Pacheco
I really wanted to like this place, but all the food is honestly too salty, and I’m not usually sensitive to salt.The two desserts were very good
Seanee Lefferts
Food was fantastic and the drinks were stellar. The host was welcoming and found us a seat and even took our meal order when the restaurant was busy. Wait staff was not welcoming and frankly rude. The monotone explanations, staring at customers and questioning drink orders, it made our group feel uncomfortable. A shame, is this just a Brooklyn thing? Act like everyone’s an annoyance? Stare at your customers like they are a bother? So weird haha. Catfish was seasoned to perfection, but the judgmental energy was less than appetizing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Jill B.
The service and ambiance were great but the food was at best mediocre and in some cases really bad. Our server was very attentive and friendly and our table comfortable. We started with the ribs and some fried green tomatoes. The batter on both were so salty that they were practically inedible. Some in our party pulled off the batter to find the meat underneath pretty good. We had the bass, the chicken and the prawns and grits mains with a side of greens. Again the chicken and the greens were over salted though not as badly as the ribs and tomatoes. The fish and grits were good but in a group that usually leaves nothing behind, we were not inspired to clean our plates. The banana custard tart we got for dessert had a cookie crust so hard, we had trouble cutting it with a knife. The custard was tasty, but again, not worth finishing. We did share our concerns about the salt level with our server who listened but the restaurant did not respond.
Alexa Coppola
Amazing cocktail menu and super friendly staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ja y
Delicious!!Great staffsLove the interiors and cozy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Catfish, Red Bean Rice, Key Lime Pie
Cafe Camellia is amazing! Great addition to the neighborhood with really fresh and original coastal seafood and excellent drinks. The environment is really warm and the service is fun and great! Highly recommend the margarita, truffle old fashioned, and great wine list! For food, we love the ribs, crab cake, shrimp and grits, and basically everything we've had. And make sure get the both desserts every time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Catfish, Red Bean Rice, Prawn and Grits, Banana Pudding Tart, Crispy Chicken, Key Lime Pie, Country Fried Baby Back Ribs, Hush Puppies, Bone in Delmonico
Livia K
One of the best meals we've ever had!I think this place is still completely undiscovered. Otherwise, guests would have to wait in line for the taste experience.We are so happy we found Cafe Camellia, the evening was just perfect.The food offers so many different flavor explosions (the drinks too, by the way) and all at a reasonable price. Every single dish is surprising, as if the extremely likeable cook (who also likes to sing) has mastered getting the most out of every single ingredient!In my opinion, you can't miss this place in New York, I guarantee the best evening!Vegetarian options: There is an appealing selection of vegetarian dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesse D.
The amazing reviews are for good reason at Cafe Camillia because everything was great. I'm very surprised this place isn't packed! Started with a cocktail called A Bubbly Gin Citrus You Get It. I usually don't like anything with bitters but the grapefruit and lime really worked here. We started with some oysters that could have been shucked a little better but tasted pretty good. We then had the fried crab claws, fried green tomatoes and collard greens. Collard greens were so good with a lot of smoked pork and the dish was somehow not heavy and might I even say, refreshing. The fried crab claws were just super creative and fun to eat. The fry somewhat took over the crab taste but honestly these are fantastic. They sadly were out of the fried fish so we got the shrimp and grits which was very tasty as well. Tons of shrimp, a large prawn but the sauce was the star. We also got the fried chicken. I don't like ordering chicken when I'm out and especially not chicken breast. The breast was so juicy, amazingly cooked and there was a drumstick and some other piece that had the perfect fry. They could have put a small side with the fried chicken, just looked lonely. Ended with the banana pudding tart, also great! 5 stars and 100% coming back!
As per most of my other recent reviews, I went to this Southern spot several months back. We went here after they had unexpectedly gone on the best new restaurants list having barely heard about the restaurant otherwise. The lighting was nice here and the staff was friendly giving good recommendations. They have ample space as well. The spot has a fun creative cocktail menu which are reasonably priced with some drinks having rather humorous names. I went with the A Complex Cocktail For Bitter People for $15 which is their take on a Negroni with roots of ruin gin, saffron liqueur, and vermouth di torino bianco which was excellent. The cocktail had a nice presentation with the vivid off yellow and the flower and it had a nice balance of bitterness, citrus, and herbal flavors. This was excellent though not on the current drink menu. They also had the opposite named A Bitter Cocktail For Complex People which was their take on a Manhattan along with plenty of other choices. As per usual for food, we split a lot of dishes. For smaller plates, my favorite was the Country Fried Baby Back Ribs for $16 with dill & vinegar and jezebel sauce. This sauce in question contains fruit jelly and combined with the dill and vinegar; it was a nice mix of sour and sweet with very tender ribs which weren't too heavily fried. Excellent. Also tasty was the Hush Puppies for $10 with jalapeno, cheddar, popcorn, and remoulade. They were lighter than expected with a little kick and the popcorn was fun for presentation. I think the remoulade should be on this side and not presented on top but I guess it's more artful that way. OK was the Crab Cake for $24 listed as corn flake crusted with whole grain mustard, radish, and herb salad. It was a bit pricey and the flavors didn't pop as much as the other appetizers. The mustard was a fun spin but perhaps don't order this as this is probably one of the only overpriced things on the menu outside of perhaps the steak. We ordered two main dishes; the Roasted Rib Cap and the Crispy 1/2 Chicken which were both fine. The former for $42 with bourbon worcestershire caramel consisted of a very tender steak though maybe a bit small. The sauce indeed had some sweetness but there was a bit of salt on the steak so it was pretty well balanced. The latter dish for $26 with`bama white sauce and herbs was solid. Tender fried chicken with a fun presentation. No real major complaints though I am not exactly sure if it is half a chicken (probably is though.) The restaurant is also known for it's desserts so we got both to share which are both $12. Of the two, my preference was the Key Lime Tart with toasted coconut and candied lime zest. I haven't had many good key lime tarts in the city and this was excellent as it wasn't too sour or sweet. The candied lime zest on top as well as the coconut just added extra pizzazz. I almost found the latter Banana Pudding Tart with caramel and vanilla wafers to be a bit worse. It was well presented as per the other dessert and it was plenty rich but it was perhaps a bit too sweet with the amount of caramel they put on top. This is a fun spin on Southern food which isn't exactly a cuisine you find commonly enhanced. The desserts and appetizers were definitely better than the entrees but the entrees weren't too shabby either. Upper 3/low 4.
This is a great spot! The food was on point. The service was good and they had a great Pilsner on tap! The greens, the fried green tomato, and the chicken were all hittin! Perfect place for a relaxing dinner with friends, work or a date. The key lime pie is a showstopper!
Don’t skip the ribs. Deep fried, tender, juicy, flaky, crispy, zesty. With pineapple sauce. ???? cocktails are also excellent and staff is very sweet … but the ribs ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
All the dishes we tried were terrific: the oysters, Artichoke, Black Gass Gnocchi which was delicious (you could taste the potatoes) even the Chicory insalata was good. On the desert since the Passion Fruit Chiboust was exceptional. Service was excellent and was the setting. We spent $309 plus tip including an $80 of wine. There is a nice bar called Portrait in the back. Reservations are recommended.
Came here for ValDay dinner and can't wait to return. First, loved that it wasn't a prix fixe menu for Valentines Day. Double Props for that. The two of us shared the fried green tomatoes, brussel sprouts, ripped potatoes, crispy chicken and the pork. Everything was delicious. The brussels are not to be missed! My boyfriend loved the chicken. We couldn't stop picking at the ripped potatoes. The drinks were also so good. Out two favorites were the scarf weather and green tease. The green tease tastes like Arizona Green Tea! For dessert, we shared the banana pudding tart. Less banana than we expected but the crust was so tasty! Dinner was so good, I can't wait to return!
I really wanted to like this place, but all the food is honestly too salty, and I’m not usually sensitive to salt.The two desserts were very good
Food was fantastic and the drinks were stellar. The host was welcoming and found us a seat and even took our meal order when the restaurant was busy. Wait staff was not welcoming and frankly rude. The monotone explanations, staring at customers and questioning drink orders, it made our group feel uncomfortable. A shame, is this just a Brooklyn thing? Act like everyone’s an annoyance? Stare at your customers like they are a bother? So weird haha. Catfish was seasoned to perfection, but the judgmental energy was less than appetizing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
The service and ambiance were great but the food was at best mediocre and in some cases really bad. Our server was very attentive and friendly and our table comfortable. We started with the ribs and some fried green tomatoes. The batter on both were so salty that they were practically inedible. Some in our party pulled off the batter to find the meat underneath pretty good. We had the bass, the chicken and the prawns and grits mains with a side of greens. Again the chicken and the greens were over salted though not as badly as the ribs and tomatoes. The fish and grits were good but in a group that usually leaves nothing behind, we were not inspired to clean our plates. The banana custard tart we got for dessert had a cookie crust so hard, we had trouble cutting it with a knife. The custard was tasty, but again, not worth finishing. We did share our concerns about the salt level with our server who listened but the restaurant did not respond.
Amazing cocktail menu and super friendly staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious!!Great staffsLove the interiors and cozy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Catfish, Red Bean Rice, Key Lime Pie
Restaurantji Recommends
The banana tart pudding
Excellent all around!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Prawn and Grits
Cafe Camellia is amazing! Great addition to the neighborhood with really fresh and original coastal seafood and excellent drinks. The environment is really warm and the service is fun and great! Highly recommend the margarita, truffle old fashioned, and great wine list! For food, we love the ribs, crab cake, shrimp and grits, and basically everything we've had. And make sure get the both desserts every time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blackened Catfish, Red Bean Rice, Prawn and Grits, Banana Pudding Tart, Crispy Chicken, Key Lime Pie, Country Fried Baby Back Ribs, Hush Puppies, Bone in Delmonico
One of the best meals we've ever had!I think this place is still completely undiscovered. Otherwise, guests would have to wait in line for the taste experience.We are so happy we found Cafe Camellia, the evening was just perfect.The food offers so many different flavor explosions (the drinks too, by the way) and all at a reasonable price. Every single dish is surprising, as if the extremely likeable cook (who also likes to sing) has mastered getting the most out of every single ingredient!In my opinion, you can't miss this place in New York, I guarantee the best evening!Vegetarian options: There is an appealing selection of vegetarian dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The amazing reviews are for good reason at Cafe Camillia because everything was great. I'm very surprised this place isn't packed! Started with a cocktail called A Bubbly Gin Citrus You Get It. I usually don't like anything with bitters but the grapefruit and lime really worked here. We started with some oysters that could have been shucked a little better but tasted pretty good. We then had the fried crab claws, fried green tomatoes and collard greens. Collard greens were so good with a lot of smoked pork and the dish was somehow not heavy and might I even say, refreshing. The fried crab claws were just super creative and fun to eat. The fry somewhat took over the crab taste but honestly these are fantastic. They sadly were out of the fried fish so we got the shrimp and grits which was very tasty as well. Tons of shrimp, a large prawn but the sauce was the star. We also got the fried chicken. I don't like ordering chicken when I'm out and especially not chicken breast. The breast was so juicy, amazingly cooked and there was a drumstick and some other piece that had the perfect fry. They could have put a small side with the fried chicken, just looked lonely. Ended with the banana pudding tart, also great! 5 stars and 100% coming back!