Elevated Caribbean cuisine w/ a legendary chef, vibrant soca vibes & a killer wine list. A unique fine dining experience that's surprisingly fun.
Bryan Kim reviews Kabawa, a Caribbean-inspired restaurant in the East Village, praising its fun atmosphere and unique fine dining approach with dishes like jerk duck sausage and braised goat.
Sonal Shah reviews Bar Kabawa, an East Village spot where rum cocktails and Caribbean patties fuel a lively party atmosphere, praising its creative drinks and flavorful snacks.
Kabawa, a celebrated Caribbean restaurant, offers an immersive fine-dining experience helmed by Chef Paul Carmichael. It's lauded for its innovative take on traditional island flavors, featuring dishes like jerk duck sausage and braised goat, all served in a lively atmosphere with an open kitchen and soca music. The restaurant has earned significant acclaim, including a high ranking from The New York Times, and is known for its unique wine program and engaging chef-counter seating.
Kabawa offers an elevated Caribbean dining experience, with many praising its flavorful dishes like the goat and pepper shrimp. However, some diners have noted that certain dishes, particularly the Chuleta Can Can, can be excessively fatty, and a few have found the overall value to be questionable given the price point.
"The goat dish is frequently highlighted as a standout, praised for its tenderness and flavorful sauce. Other praised items include the roti platter, pepper shrimp, and cocktails from the adjacent Bar Kabawa."
Customers largely praise Kabawa for its exceptional cooking and vibrant atmosphere, though some find the prix fixe menu to be on the pricier side.
Important Note
Some diners have found the Chuleta Can Can dish to be excessively fatty. The prix fixe menu can be pricey, and reservations may be difficult to obtain.
"Kabawa is recommended."
Positive"This commenter believes Momofuku-affiliated restaurants are generally overhyped and, given Kabawa's connection to the Zabar scion, suspects it might not be stellar."
Neutral"This user mentioned Kabawa as one of their favorite restaurants."
Positive"This commenter found the pepper shrimp at Kabawa to be fantastic, even better than the goat, praising its subtle flavors and the quality of the shrimp."
Positive"This commenter echoed the original poster's experience, having ordered the same dishes at Kabawa and finding the meal mediocre."
Negative"This commenter visited Kabawa early on and found the experience underwhelming for the price, with the bread course being the best part. They noted it missed the mark for upscale Caribbean food in NYC."
Negative"In contrast to the negative reviews, this user has had multiple stellar experiences at Kabawa with outstanding food, unique wines, and great service. They also highly recommend the rum-based cocktails at Bar Kabawa."
Positive"A strong disagreement with the previous comment, this user finds the Chuleta Can Can dish at Kabawa to be very special."
Positive"This user visited Kabawa with no prior expectations and was not particularly impressed, especially given the price. They enjoyed the red shrimp dish but found little else noteworthy."
Negative"A brief agreement with the overall sentiment expressed about Kabawa."
Neutral"This commenter found their two items at Tatiana to be expensive ($150) and while decent, not overwhelmingly impressive, suggesting other meals could have provided more overall enjoyment for the same cost."
Negative"This user was not impressed with Kabawa during their early visit, finding an egg dish delightful but the Chuleta Can Can excessively fatty, which led to a feeling of nausea."
Negative"This commenter enjoyed the roti, rice, goat, and drinks at Kabawa, but felt the base price of $145 pp was steep for the overall experience, speculating about the influence of the Momofuku Group's cost structure."
Neutral"This commenter had a similar experience to the original poster with Tatiana, feeling that certain dishes were highlights but overall the experience did not justify the price."
Negative"This user was not particularly impressed with Kabawa, finding it just 'fine' and not aligning with the restaurant's hype."
Negative"This commenter found Kabawa good but not special, with prices inflated compared to other trendy spots. They also felt Tatiana was a rip-off relative to its cost and similar hyped establishments."
Negative"This user visited Kabawa recently and ordered the same dishes as the original poster, sharing the exact same sentiment of disappointment and questioning the hype."
Negative"This comment suggests that not everyone will like a hyped restaurant, and it's acceptable to have different opinions."
Neutral"The original poster was disappointed with their meal at Kabawa, finding most dishes to be mediocre or bland, especially considering the price. The goat dish was an exception and was highly praised."
Negative"This user believes that with the success of Tatiana and Kabawa, more elevated Caribbean restaurants will start to appear."
Positive
