Verified Company
I have been to Native numerous times.
I usually go on Mondays since I enjoy the R&B vibe but this past Monday was a disappointment. The front desk and wait staff continue to be very nice, even when it’s super
crowded. BUT that manager with the bald head, really needs to know how to speak to people. I had 5 table including one of 8 with a check damn near $700 so I expect to be trained with a level of respect from someone who’s suppose to be in charge. He was rude, and disrespectful about a table that didn’t say reserve only to assign the table after playing musical table. If it wasn’t for the event celebration I was attending, I would have left with all 5 of my tables. You Sir need some more training and a reminder of how to treat PAYING customer. I enjoy Native and it saddened myself and my guest, who were present. There are FAR to many other places I can take me 17 people and he needs to be reminded they staff culture/respect examples are set from the top.
I’ve always found this place to be beautiful, and I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad dish here. The food and overall atmosphere make it one of the standout spots in Harlem.
That said, I’ve had some concerns with how security is managed. At times, enforcement of the dress code feels inconsistent, which can be frustrating as a guest trying to follow the rules. I’ve also witnessed situations where security staff struggled to de-escalate conflicts and came across as disrespectful or overly aggressive, particularly toward women.
Service can also be hit or miss during large events. The bar, in particular, often seems understaffed and unprepared, leading to long wait times.
Overall, it’s a great establishment with a lot of potential, but improving consistency in security and strengthening service during busy times would make the experience even better.
Definitely a go-to spot for brunch or to celebrate a birthday. NOT for casual eating, which is why my group went. We hadn’t heard about Native before and picked a local spot nearby to grab food. It was not at all what we expected. Dear Reader, it was a Monday and this place was turned all the way up like it was a Saturday (the Sax guy was there and everything). The DJ was amazing, but it was entirely too loud for what we were looking for. We couldn’t even talk to each other because we couldn’t hear over the music. I recommend if you’re looking to party!
I went to Game night on a Thursday. Vibes were great. The food was really good too. We had the chicken suya, mambo wings, baked mac and cheese, jollof and beef sliders. Everything was tasty. The drinks were also good. It did take quite a while to get a server. We had to ask someone for help after about 25 minutes. There’s also a 20% automatic gratuity added to every bill. Despite the service needing improvement I would revisit for the food.
I was really looking forward to dining here and maybe it was a matter of bad timing. We came for a late dinner on a Tuesday night.
They are having a comedy show so we were told we would have to pay $25 extra per person to sit in view of the stage, or sit further away for free so we sat further.
The volume of the audio system was so loud we could barely hear each other and we were sitting next to one another.
Having said that we were still looking forward to trying the food.
We got a small bowl of potato chips too start with and they were well seasoned.
I ordered the oxtails and the portion of meat was very small and the sauce was a bit salty, and the rice wasn't great either. My girlfriend got the jollof rice with chicken and both the chicken and the rice were very dry and not seasoned very well.
The service was pretty inattentive as we had long waits when we first sat down and throughout the meal.
Overall, a disappointing experience, but might try it again another time to see if we just caught them on an off night.
Food definitely not the best and I love African food so boom I decided to give it a try one more time after a previous bad experience I sat at the bar this time I asked for margaritas HOUSE TEQUILA they tried to overcharge me $25 each and not just that they added 25 percent gratitude by themselves they charging for how pretty the place looks but service wise they need to to better and stop overcharging people my bill went down from $110 to $50 after I complained definitely not coming back AGAIN!!!!! Pay attention to your bill !!!!!!!
