← All New York City Restaurants
🎷 Harlem, New York City
21 restaurants · 2026
🍽️ 21 Restaurants
✨ Soul Food, Jazz, Culture, Brunch
Rich cultural history meets a dining renaissance. Soul food institutions, jazz clubs, and exciting new concepts.
Known for: Apollo Theater, Sylvia's, Red Rooster, gospel brunch
Don't miss: Sylvia's, Red Rooster, Melba's, SummerStage
💡 Sunday gospel brunch at Sylvia's is a must-do NYC experience.
Top 10 in Harlem
1
Apollo Theater
Theater / Landmark
Harlem’s crown jewel and the cradle of Black American music — Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, and countless others launched careers here at Amateur Night. The neon marquee on 125th S...
95
2
The Red Rooster
American Soul Food · James Beard Nominated
Marcus Samuelsson's Harlem landmark is part restaurant, part cultural institution, part community center. The fried chicken is legendary, the cornbread is addictive, and the weeken...
92
3
Rao's
Italian-American · NYC Institution Since 1896
You cannot get a table at Rao's. Not because it's booked — because the tables are owned. The same families have held the same tables for decades at this 115-year-old East Harlem It...
90
4
Studio Museum in Harlem
Museum
Premier institution dedicated to artists of African descent. Reopened 2025 in a new David Adjaye-designed building on West 125th Street; the Artist-in-Residence program has launche...
90
5
Sylvia's
Soul Food · NYC Institution Since 1962, Harlem Landmark
Sylvia Woods opened this Harlem restaurant in 1962 and it became the Queen of Soul Food. The fried chicken, the mac and cheese, the collard greens, and the cornbread are all exactl...
88
6
Ginny's Supper Club
Cocktail Lounge & Music
Marcus Samuelsson's underground supper club beneath Red Rooster serves live jazz, elevated cocktails, and Southern-inspired small plates in a sultry basement setting. The fried chi...
88
7
Amy Ruth's
Soul Food
Amy Ruth's has been the Harlem soul food queen since 1998. The chicken and waffles named after Al Sharpton, the smothered pork chops, and the mac and cheese are all deeply satisfyi...
87
8
Melba's
Southern Comfort · James Beard Community Impact
Melba Wilson opened her Harlem restaurant in 2005 and immediately became a neighborhood institution. The fried chicken is legendary — crunchy, juicy, and seasoned with something th...
86
9
Charles Pan-Fried Chicken
Soul Food · Eater 38
Charles Gabriel has been pan-frying chicken in cast-iron skillets on 125th Street for years, and the result is a perfectly browned crust and impossibly moist interior that has no b...
85
10
Morris-Jumel Mansion
Landmark / Historic House
Manhattan’s oldest remaining house (1765), where George Washington headquartered during the Battle of Harlem Heights. A hidden gem on a hill at the edge of Washington Heights with ...
85
All 21 Restaurants in Harlem
Sisters Caribbean Cuisine
Caribbean
83
Sugar Hill Creamery
Dessert
83
Local Favorites (15)
Casual (13)
Historic (7)
Live Music (7)
Brunch (6)
Classic (6)
Cocktails (4)
Date Night (4)
Late Night (4)
Landmark (3)
Tourist Attraction (3)
Happy Hour (3)
More New York City Neighborhoods
Dim Hour scores the best restaurants across America. Full guide → · All New York City restaurants →