New Ivoire

Some of the people who gave this place bad reviews clearly do not know any West Africans, or have not had an authentic experience eating their food and being in their cultural spaces. To the guy who expected to be served as he sat down, said the food was impossible to eat without using your hands, and didn’t know what to do with the magi cube… Really? If you want an American experience, GO TO AN AMERICAN RESTAURANT!!!
That said, I went with three Malians who had previously shown me the proper way to dine. You approach the counter and let them know if you’re ordering for there or taking out. They don’t approach you first, especially if you don’t even speak their language (French or a local African dialect). We opted to eat there. I let them order, which was 2 huge helpings of attieke, chicken, and a fish. The food was authentic, delicious! Flavorful (BTW, crush the magi cube and sprinkle it over the attieke) and yes, a little messy (Malians eat with their hands in their country). The atmosphere (west African men filled the place) would be weird for outsiders, but again, going with someone from the culture helps. The price was reasonable. We paid about $ 45 to feed four of us. For those saying it is pricey, my guys got a good deal as ordering for a group and sharing is the best way to get to most value out of your meal. Remember, African culture is communal.
To be honest, I love that they cater to folks from their culture and could care less about the random person who only wants to come in and judge but not learn. It’s hard to maintain authenticity in a space where another culture (American) is dominant and expects everyone else to conform.

If you’re driving thru Harlem in the middle of the night. lets say 3am in the morning & you’re craving African food, this is the best place to stop by to get a big course Ivoirrienne meal. What I love the most is that its 24 hours. Only in NY! I had the Poisson Friet et Attieke avec aloko (Fried Fish with Attieke & Sweet Plantains for those of you who doesn’t speak french) It was good & always good. Fish is always moist. Its not a place to sit with ur friends or go on a date. Its just a take out spot to order & go. And of course like most african restaurants, they only take cash

I tried them again after not going for a very long time. So here is another reveiw over 2 years later.
I walk in and the lady who works there didn’t say anything to me at first. I used to think this kind of behavior is just rude but now I understand that it is not customary in African culture to interact in a very friendly matter with people you don’t know. So I took matters into my own hands and said to the lady when she finally looked at me and gave me the nod (Big Smile) «Hi. How are you today?»
She cracked a very small smile and her energy did become a bit more accepting. I order Attieke and chicken and went to the fridge and got a Ginger juice. The food was ready in about 5 – 10 minutes. I was taking it out because the atmosphere is still kinda a little bit yuck. It was clean butt its one of those places where the African cabbies hang out and talk loudly and ignore everything and everybody around them.
I think the attieke here is better then the other places. The chicken was good but the pieces were small. I prefer the chicken from the Bronx place better.
I paid $ 16.50 for this. Kinda a lot.
I went from 2 stars to 3 because the lady actually looked at me and the attieke is to me the best. Its softer and moister rather than a little hard and gritty.

I just love their food! Always fresh and soooo tasty. The grilled chicken with plantains, lamb and the grilled fish are amazing. Also the red sauce that comes with the rice. The owner is very nice and helps you figure out the menu if you have a questions.

I highly recommend the grilled fish with either attiéké or aloco. The ginger drink is awesome too.
I personally thought that the prices were a little bit high for how casual the restaurant is, however the portions were generous.
When I arrived the place was mostly filled with Ivoirien men, but that added to authentic feel.

I work around the corner from this place and usually stop in when I am feeling in the mood for a little something different for my taste buds.
This place is usually packed with men sitting with friends and chatting, apparently having a good time. I think the clientele are mostly Ivoirian (I think that is the correct term) which adds to the authentic feel of the place. Overall, atmosphere is ehhh seeing as the place is pretty cramped with generally uncomfortable seating.
Food is pretty tasty with LARGE portions. I once ordered tuna with the rice pilaf, which was absolutely delicious. However, I made the mistake of eating the entire dish in one sitting which is a huge feat as anyone would know that has ever ordered a dinner entrée here. The result: SALT OVERLOAD. I spent my night drinking water non-​stop and immediately regretted my gluttony. It seems like the cook tends to season the food with TONS of salt and this is coming from someone that generally doesn’t shy away from a little sodium.
Anyway, I’ve been back several times since and just make a point to control my inner fatty and never attempt to eat a whole dinner entrée. Would recommend to anyone for a taste of food that is unique from what is typically available elsewhere around Manhattan.

A friend recommended me to this place. Initially, I was excited because Ivorians (in my opinion) make the best Poisson braise and aloko. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. We got to New Ivorie around 7:30 saturday night, we walked in assuming a waitress will great and seat you– not so much. My boyfriend ask the lady at the cash register, «Where can we seat»?
She responded in french. «Yeah, whatever». Leaving us to seat at the only vacant table that was wasn’t clean. While waiting for someone to take our order, we noticed the menu’s in a pocket attached to the side of the table. Though, knowing what I already wanted, I grabbed a menu that was dirty and sticky — eww.
After about 10 minutes looking around, a man came to take our order. The usual for us, poisson braise, aloko and salad. Luckily, our order didn’t take no more than 10 minutes to come out. I was EXTREMELY disappointed. It was the smallest tilapia fish ever. The onion slaw on top was disappointing as well, small proportioned, dry and not much flavor. The aloko (sweet fried plantains) were dry and flavorless also. The salad was pretty boring, the vinaigrette was one note. I did like the side mayo and hot sauce. thank goodness for that! My bf did like the music after they got it to work. Bob Marley’s greatest hits how could you go wrong.
Overall, I don’t ever plan on going back and I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve experienced far better. $ 16 for a tiny fish. No way! Looking for great west african food.
Try — La Save, African Kine or even Patisserie Des Ambassades

After a disappointing experience at Abidjan in Brooklyn last summer, decided to give Ivorian cuisine one more chance. So tonight, I decided to come here for a quick dinner before meeting up with a friend for a drink in Harlem. Unfortunately, once again, it turned out to be a major disappointing experience.
I know this place caters mostly to the Ivorian taxi drivers who miss their country’s food and drop by for lunch and dinner but seriously the food was just not good and seemed much more expensive than West African restaurants of Ghana and Senegal. This is definitely NOT a place to go with your date (unless they’re Ivorian). The place is very divey and not much atmosphere in there. Not to mention service is basically non-​existent. Once you walk in, there is no «Hello» or «Hi» nor any type of acknowledgement. You just step in, receive a confused look from one of the ladies working there surprised to see such a rare moment of an Asian dude walking into an African restaurant, and take a seat. Since there is really NO wait service (I waited 10 minutes to be serviced and I already made my decision from the menu in less than a minute), I literally had to go up to the counter and order my food.
I ordered the dinner special of Poisson Braisse ($ 16) which is Ivorian Style Grilled Fish. On the menu, it stated that the dinner comes with a side. The side choices were: Lettuce Salad, French Fries, Aloco or Fried Sweet Plantains, Attieke which are Cassava Couscous, Vermicelli Noodles, and Riz Blanc. I opted for the Attieke to make the experience much more authentic. It also states right next to the Dinner Special that you can get Jollof Rice for $ 3 more so I pointed out the $ 3 addition of Jollof Rice to the lady and the lady asked me if I wanted the Jollof Rice with meat or fish. I chose meat as I was already getting the fish as my main entrée.
Food relatively came out fast. First the Grilled Fish, followed by the Attieke, and finally the Jollof Rice with chops of mutton meat. The portions are all HUGE just like any West African restaurants I’ve tried throughout the city.
Poisson Braisse was very oily and dressed on a bed of onions, Paprika peppers, and tomatoes. But nevertheless it was tasty but just wayyy too many bones that you will have to end up using your hands to eat the fish which can get messy.
Attieke was definitely NOT my type of food. The couscous made from fermented granulated Cassava was very boring and really didn’t have any taste but slightly sour due to the fermentation I believe. Strangely, it comes with a cube of an unopen Maggi cube which was strange as I didn’t know what to do with it. I’m glad this was part of the entrée and I didn’t buy it separately as this was NOT GOOD. Trust me and don’t get Attieke as your side because you’ll think you’re just eating plain non-​sticky Asian rice with Beef Stock seasoned on it (Maggi cube). GROSS
Riz Gras or Ivorian Jollof Rice. I swear I should’ve listened to my Ivorian friend and not get this as she warned me beforehand that Ivorians DO NOT KNOW how to make good Jollof Rice and she was right! This variety of Jollof Rice was probably the most tasteless Jollof Rice I’ve ever had! NEVER EVER get Ivorian style Jollof Rice! It’s just SOOO BAD!!! To add on, the meat was not even tender and the surprisingly SKIMPY amount of meat (mostly bones) that came with it was laughable. I tell you from experience, if you’re craving Jollof Rice, go to a Senegalese or Ghanaian restaurants, they know the REAL DEAL!
When I paid the bill I was told my total was $ 27 and I asked why so much and she told me that the Jollof Rice was $ 11. And I pointed out to the menu and told her about the $ 3 addition to the dinner special. Unfortunately, the woman behind the counter wasn’t even listening or maybe too retarded to pay attention and because her English skills were lacking (I don’t mind you NOT speaking fluent English but at least give me the food I ordered and not trick me!!) Since I only had $ 22 on cash with me, I told her that I’ll pay with my card (It CLEARLY says on the menu they receive Cards) and she said it was broken. When I asked her if there was an ATM on site and she told me that’s broken as well. After about a minute later, she tells me «OK, let’s try your card! sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t!» After swiping my card, it goes through and the lady says ‘You’re lucky’
…
WTF I’m lucky and should bow down to you because your credit card machine works?! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS! I’m sure Allah will be proud of you deceiving non-​Ivorian customers and ripping them off. I gave a sarcastic laugh and headed out of the restaurant.
I’ll NEVER EVER eat at an Ivorian restaurant again. Afterall, this one and Abdjian in Brooklyn are the only Ivory Coast restaurants existing in all of NYC. Skip Ivorian cuisine. If you want West African cuisine, Senegalese and Ghanaian restaurants are definitely what you should look for and NOT Ivorian ones.

Ordered here twice during my vacation in NYC and I’m so fond of it. Had the grilled fish with rice and the other time with couscous. Both were really good, but it’s better with couscous. The fish is PERFECT. It’s a little bit pricey, but you get a lot for $ 13. I never finished my meal and could have eaten it the next day. My boyfriend had garba both times and said it’s different than the garba at the Ivory Coast, but it was still good. Definitely recommend this place.

You can’t go wrong with the couscous and mutton. Absolutely delicious. Prices are also reasonable. Definitely try the ginger juice. It is amazingly refreshing. If you are familiar with food from Africa especially Morocco or Senegal you will appreciate this restaurant.
The only cons are make sure you request that your lamb/​mutton does not have a lot of fat on on it, if possible none at all. The place is small and has a disgusting bathroom.

Finally got around to trying New Ivoire a few weeks ago.
(The times I had tried to go by in the past, they’d always been closed.)
It turns out it was well worth trying again. They do a mean potato leaves stew here. Prices are a bit higher than at some of the other Harlem West African restaurants, and for me, getting to New Ivoire is something of a pain because it’s a bit out of the way, but I will be sure to go back.
Update:
They need better quality control. Another potato leaves serving included the hard part of the stems that any good cook would have discarded before using in a dish. Whoever was in the kitchen apparently was too lazy to remove the stems and just tossed them into the food processor. Very bad form!

Pros:
Portion size is ridiculous (see pictures by me)
Authentic feel
Cons:
Food is extremely oily
Spotty service (I asked if there was cous cous kinda of side, instead of rice, and the owner said no – but while waiting for my food, I saw two folks having this)
Overall, this place has 3 stars from me, because it offers something new. When you see native folks eating here, you know it is legit.

Where else can you go and get a whole fried fish, delicious sweet plantains and a super spicy sauce that will spill all over your coffee table for 12 bucks?
This place seriously rocked, they take credit cards, and they’re always crowded with people.
I got the poisson grille, a riz gras and the poulet braise for my boyfriend.
My fingers were covered in oil and spices and deliciousness when I got home. The fish was well seasoned and the tomato onion topping (with some additional lemon from my fridge) cut the richness quite well.
I’m in love with the riz gras and he liked the grilled chicken.
You get SO much food for such a little bit and they’re so accommodating.
I want to go every week but it was a bit difficult carrying all that stuff back!
I’ll post pictures later.
I got the attike and it came with a maggi cube dead center. I giggled.

The only thing I regret is that I didn’t have enough appetite by the end of my Harlem/​West African food crawl to eat more here.
Everything about this place is the real deal. If you’re like me and you live for authentic «ethnic» food (the more obscure, the better), New Ivoire will be a dream come true. It’s raw, bare bones and populated with honest-​to-​goodness West Africans (Ivorians?) speaking honest-​to-​goodness West African French. I felt like I was actually in the Cote d’Ivoire, minus the shaky political landscape. It was divine.
The staff are friendly and welcoming, chatting easily in their native French with the locals/​regulars, then switching to English for «outsiders» like me (though I actually do speak French, haha). No one bothers you, no one rushes you, food comes fast and fresh.
And the food! We got the Attieke with a (free) side of spicy fish sauce to share and wow! It was so many things I love in food. Light, fluffy couscous mixed with tangy, zesty marinated vegetables. A bizarre little spice cube that melted nowhere near as fast as it should and the fish sauce combined to make an incredibly savory dish, the likes of which I have never tasted, and I’ve had a lot of West African cuisine.
If you’re not afraid to venture up to Harlem (and seriously, why would you be?), you MUST come here. Harlem offers a lot of West African cuisine, mostly Senegalese, but as far as I know, this is the only Ivory Coast restaurant in the city (or vicinity of the U.S. of A). Here’s the unique Manhattan experience the guidebooks will never tell you. Don’t miss it!

Love! Love! African food especially if it feel like home (note I am not African). I was very excited to have found a place close to my job. I haven’t had African food since I moved from the Bronx to Manhattan. So I am expecting to have this great meal AND it wasn’t great at all! I had the Lamb. It was not seasoned at all. NO flavor just meat. I am glad they gave me spice for it, but still did not make a big difference. That meal did not work. Maybe if I go again (not sure if I will) I will order fish (who can go wrong with fish) .
The woman who took my order was not as friendly, BUT I have experienced this at many African restaurants. Bottom line: Nice and comfy: not packed after 3pm (I went at 3:30pm): fast service: Food OK. (not the best I had).

Well, one of my many hair stylists often orders from here and shares it with her patrons. Their Poisson Grille is out of this world!!! Make sure you don’t forget to order a side of couscous and Aloco (fried plantains with this awesome tomato/​onion sauce) Trust me, the combo is great.
As a matter of fact, I plan to stop by after work to pick up dinner tonite: o)

Was initially encouraged by the womens soccer game on TV, the tamarind drink in the fridge, and the nice neighborhood feel… and all of the 5-​star reviews. Ordered the lamb. My serving was 50% fat, 40% bones, and 10% meat. Is it supposed to be like that? Also had some tomato/​onion sauce on white rice — liked the flavor but it was very oily.
Don’t know how I also ended up with a plate of couscous — complete with an undissolved bouillon cube! What do I do with that? This place was over my head for sure — is it me, or is this a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes?
Nice people and happy customers everywhere. Waitress, guy behind counter — both great. Fun conversations happening outside, lots of people chowing down inside. I felt like I was in an alternate reality — my food was really kind of rough to take — made me feel like a wuss even though I’ve eaten street food all over the developing world (including Northern Africa).
So, I guess if you’re even the slightest bit lame around real authentic African food, like it turns out I am, don’t kid yourself. Go somewhere else and let the true fans have their spot. The place is likely to draw extreme reviews: those who love it and those who don’t understand it.

I don’t want to call this meal ‘a life changing experience,’ because that sounds too dramatic, but the dinner I had at New Ivoire Restaurant comes pretty close.
I’ve been meaning to check this place out for weeks, but I kept coming up with excuses not to. Too late/​hungry/​drunk, need to just grab something quick. Real nonsense.
So last night I find myself in the position to pick where I wanted to dine on my birthday. Of all the fancypants restaurants (and it’s restaurant week after all!), I instead chose to stick close to my pad, but venture away from the usual burrito joint (it was however, a hard choice to make, after my male companion and I had a long discussion on the merits of Italian cuisine.)
So, we ventured out to New Ivoire, nervous, about to lose our Ivoirian-​cuisine virginities.
When we arrived the place was very busy, lots of cabbies, all talking amongst themselves loudly, over a TV blaring some dance show on BET. Totally. Awesome. We took a table in the corner and excitedly poured over the menu.
I had a serious dilemma in deciding what to order. I really wanted the fried tuna, because tuna is the most delicious fish to ever swim the seas. But i really like my tuna raw, I kinda hate cooked tuna. On the other hand, I could get the grilled lamb. In the end I decided to be bold and get the tuna, with a side of frites served with their own spicy home made ketchup. (In hindsight, I would have gotten something else, but I do have a serious french fry addiction. They were damn good fries, too.) My companion ordered the wednesday lunch special lamb with brown rice.
We also both ordered their ‘homemade ginger drink.’ It was a very sweet lemonade with a strong (very spicy!) ginger flavor. I couldn’t believe what a good digestif this drink was! Really tasty as well, though I would cut it with seltzer to make it a bit less sweet and easier to drink.
My tuna was really fantastic. It wasn’t breaded, just seasoned and thrown right in the oil. This resulted in a very crisp outer layer that was salty and delicious and not overly greasy. The center of the tuna was well done, but it wasn’t at all dry. I absolutely loved it. This tuna really taught me that you can cook fish, it just has to be done the right way.
I liked my dish, but I loved the dish my boyfriend ordered. The lamb was tender, the rice was beautifully seasoned, just the slightest bit oily with the fat from the lamb, and browned. The texture was lovely, a bit sticky and starchy on the outsides of the rice, but still firm.
I had never tasted food like this before. It was fantastic. I was blown away while eating my meal, I couldn’t stop commenting on how good the food was. Through mouthfuls of ginger drink and frites I blabbed on and on and on about how much I loved what I was eating… a bit like what I’m doing right now.

A line of taxi cabs forms a fortress in front of New Ivoire, a line that stretches down the block and gets even larger as day turns to night and midnight hungers need to be fixed. This 24-​hour joint is obviously popular with the West African cab drivers in the city, and I would definitely rather see them sitting here having friendly conversations instead of avoiding them on the street while biking.
They sat around large tables alternating their attention between the food, the rambunctious conversations, and the soccer channel on television. The owner would sit with them at times, giving the place a very friendly local feel. As newcomers we did not stand out at all though, even if my spotty French was not quite enough at times to describe what I wanted.
At lunch, the restaurant has a rotating menu of three or more items, different on each day. The following two items were available on Mondays. The sauce arachide ($ 10) was very similar to other West African mafes, but had a more subtle approach to its peanut sauce, allowing other flavors to surface and creating a splendid soup for its beef. Served with a heaping plate of rice, the dish is definitely more than necessary for lunch.
Another choice for the sides was a plate of yuca that appeared in couscous form. The owner recommended it with the second dish, the sauce Claire dindon ($ 10), and was spot on. It’s a soup with turkey and tomato, but spiced with pepper and very oily. Both dishes brought back great West African memories with a small colorful pepper in the center.
I also grabbed what appeared to be a homemade lemonade ($ 2), and expected it to be infused with something sickeningly sweet like vanilla. What I found though was in addition to this insulting sweetness a strong burning ginger was in there, which I could not finish despite the great taste.

This is restaurant is really in the middle of no where! Some where in Harlem on the east side you will stumble into New Ivoire Restaurant! Food straight from the Ivory Coast. this is the real deal. My husband takes me here quite often when he craves home food…
The food is fresh, and you get tons of it for $ 10 or $ 12…its not fancy… alot of local Ivoirian cabbies head here to get their espresso and poisson braise (baked fish) with atticke (a type of cous cous) here! It’s really good for the price, and the owners are super friends and service is great! so if you are looking for some no fuss French Ivorian food this is the SPOT!