Zanmi

Visited this local eatery for lunch with my girlfriend and Vanessa our server showed her extensive knowledge of the menu and help guide us to a more than satisfactory lunch .

You won't be disappointed. I had the fish and chiktay. The food is really good! I'll definitely go back.

Always a good time. Food is always good. Service is always sweet and friendly. When the Brooklyn location gets its liquor licence on, they will be unstoppable.

I really enjoyed the shiktay at this location. I got that with the Macaroni Gratine that I know is always good.

Alright, because we came in for takeout, my photos do not do this place justice. But wow wow wow the food is AMAZING!!!

Great ambience and vibe, and just such a cute spot, service was great. They were careful about checking allergens for me, the takeout food came out relatively quickly, and while it isn't the cheapest option in the block, the price for what you get is absolutely hands-down worth it.

The shrimp grits was just... flavor heaven. I can't really describe it with the right words - it's just some thing you will have to come back and try, again, and again, and eat it some more because ... cravings.

The fried meat was great, and I forget the dish name, but we got a cod appetizer that was also phenomenal. (and yes, I missed taking photos before we dove in and devoured most of the dish)

Definitely one of those places I will go out of my way to visit again. Five stars all the way!

As an unofficial Haitian. I can say zanmi is better than a lot of other Haitian restaurants in Brooklyn. I won't name names. The service is a little unconventional. Dining here feels like you're eating at your family's home. The Haitian music adds to the authenticity of your experience.

Okay let's just start off with the good!!!

Walked in and I particularly like the small decorative fixtures (lighting), art work and vibes. I absolutely loved how they were able to keep the essence of the Haitian vibes but bring a little modern to it! In addition the gentleman who served us was very pleasant and patient so I appreciated that.

The bad lol and I hate doing this because more than anything I love supporting black owned businesses but they too need to be held accountable!

My table received the Burger, Pasta, Crab cakes, Wings, and Fish of the day.

Unfortunately the wings, crab cakes, and burger gave off this frozen taste. Those item's definitely were not from scratch and absolutely came from the freezer. They gave me this 2 ounce burger patty that seemed to be sitting under a heater, no onion ring (as stated on the menu) and the fries were cold.

Wings weren't the worst but Ive had better frozen wings for sure.

Also I was a little disappointed with plastic ramekin being served with a plate charge of $18-$20+. Let's fully commit to plate presentation bc the eyes eat before the mouth do.

Crab cakes were a throw away. nothing special about these at all, dense with no flavor. The sauce couldn't save that cake. We honestly ate them because we were starving.

I didn't get a chance to taste the fish or the pasta but neither look fork worthy! My accompaniments said the fish was dry and they didn't even finish the pasta (surprisingly bc my one friend will clean a plate with his finger, so that's that).

The fish did come with black rice and I did enjoy that. Also enjoyed my side salad with the mango vinaigrette (maybe the best thing I had there).

Overall I more than likely will not be returning and for sure won't be recommending. This place could have had the worst service in the world but let that food be amazing...you'd come back. But when the service is great and the food is absolutely terrible it's givinnnn hello from the sidewalk. No one wants to spend money on terrible food especially when it already cost so much to live in this damn town lol

I'm sending nothing but love and luck to this business. I pray for a turn around.

Food is great but maybe a little on the pricey side. I would stick to the Haitian fare because that is where they really shine. Staff is attentive and friendly. Lovely decor.

Loved my meal at Zanmi...although I admit I don't have any real experience with Haitian food - in fact this being my first experience.

Diggin the overall vibe. There's a gorgeous mural outside the restaurant, and there's some really cool artwork inside. We actually tried to ask them if any of the pieces were for sale, and they said they were custom made for the restaurant and we couldn't buy them haha. The waiter who was serving us was incredibly nice and affable.

We ordered several appetizers to share. Highlights were the pâté kode (my favorite, a delightfully crispy and flavorful empanada-like dish) and the plantain submarine (thumbs up). The crab cake was good, albeit I admit the serving size was a bit small. They don't have pikliz (a pickled slaw) listed on the menu, but you can order it to accompany your food.

I quite enjoyed my food here, and was def a good gateway to future Haitian food experiences!

Went for brunch on a Sunday with my friend and sat outside while I waited for her. We wanted to try the brunch before heading to an event nearby. The decor is nice and it's spacious enough. She finally showed, and I was starving. There are not too many options on the brunch menu, It's not over-complicated. I ordered the chicken and waffles, which came with a side of fried eggs, and my friend had the crab cakes with a side salad. We had one pitcher of the Mango passion punch. I'd you want a starter you have to order from the daily menu as brunch does not come with any.

I rarely order chicken and waffles when I do brunch, but this was very tasty. The chicken was cooked well, very juicy, and well seasoned. The waffles were good and not dry. And the fired eggs, and it reminded me of how I make my eggs; I could taste all the flavor, and that's how fried eggs should taste. I have to say this breakfast was not bland or missing anything. The passion punch was good, not too strong, but it will sneak up on you. I tried a piece of my friends' crab cakes, and it wasn't to my liking, and I'm not really a crab cake type of person. We did have a pulsd voucher, which we used for the brunch for two.

Waitress was nice and attentive but very busy it didn't seem like there were many of them. The owner was also helping out, which is nice to see him be hands-on. My friend spoke to him and he seems to be really nice. But all in all everything was good. And I was satisfied with food. Def go visit if you're in the neighborhood or just want to try something different. And only half a block from the 2 train to Winthrop.

Let me start this review by saying that I'm Haitian American, and I grew up eating authentic Haitian food. I speak Creole (terribly) and I've even been to Haiti and have had the food out there as well. Ever since moving out of my mom's house, it's rare that I get to have real Haitian food unless I go to her house, and this isn't easily rectified because it's hard to find authentic Haitian food that satisfies an authentic Haitian American.

Then comes Zanmi.

I'll admit I've actually been here before, back when their bar was still pending a liquor license so they weren't able to serve alcohol, and everything was amazing. But now that they have everything up and running, I decided to do a full review. And I'll just say right now that if you're looking for flavorful, authentic, Haitian inspired cuisine with a lovely atmosphere and decor, you've come to the right place.

We were greeted by our server Mary, who oddly enough is the same server I had when I first came. And that's a good thing. Mary immediately made us feel very welcome and at home, and was quick to seat us while also handling some tables and things at the bar. She gave us water as we looked through the menu, which has a bit of everything for everyone, even vegan options (I'm not vegan but I'm just mentioning it).

For drinks we ordered the Lakou Punch and the Menthole Mojito. The punch was fruity and balanced, but not overly sweet, and you could actually taste the rum. The mojito was just a normal mojito, but a very good one at that.

Our appetizers came out pretty quickly. We got the Pâté Kode (Haitian patties with codfish) and the Griot Sliders (Haitian fried pork sliders), with extra pikliz (spicy pickled cabbage). Bear in mind that I hadn't tried these during my previous visit. We were both amazed at the complex blend of flavors in these dishes. Everything was cooked perfectly and was rich in flavor but never overbearing in any way. A perfect blend of American presentation and Haitian flavors. The Pâté Kode isn't exactly like traditional pâté. The outside is similar to an empanada, but that's not a bad thing. I think it keeps things interesting and we both loved it.

For the entrees I ordered the Legumes D'Aubergine (a vegetable stew made with eggplant, chayote, carrots, Lima beans, and spinach) and added shrimp. My date ordered the Fish of the Day, which was Branzino and got it grilled. Both dishes were served with a side of diri djon djon (Haitian Black Rice). The legume was phenomenal. Not as good as my mother's of course, but pretty close honestly. The portion size was perfect and much more filling that it looks, especially with the flavorful black rice. It's hard to explain the flavors but they're there and it's fantastic. The branzino was absolutely perfect. The fish was flaky, fluffy and had so much flavor. My date ate the entire thing (even the head ) and she couldn't stop saying how delicious it was.

We finished our night with some Kremas Chanmas (a coconut rum cream, also available virgin) which I think was the only thing that could use a bit of improvement. It wasn't bad by any means, but I'm used to kremas being thicker. I'm sure that it's because the kremas is made virgin, and that adding alcohol made it a bit more runny and that's understandable. Still delicious overall.

So clearly the food tastes good, but what about the atmosphere? It's calm, inviting and cozy. The restaurant itself is quiet and chill. We had fun conversations with Mary at the bar and overall just really enjoyed our visit. She took great care of us service wise as well. The prices are also very fair, as all our food was properly portioned and tasted very fresh. The glassware and utensils were all clean, as was the bar top. I can vouch for this as I bartended for about 7 years in the past.

Overall, if you're interested in trying something new, as a Haitian American I can HIGHLY recommend checking out Zanmi in Brooklyn. It is pretty far (we came all the way from Westchester) but it's absolutely worth the journey.