Gou, bar none, has the best Haitian food in Philly - Review - Philadelphia - The Infatuation
"This Olney restaurant is where you go for classics like pwason fri and fluffy black rice, as well as rasta pasta with grilled shrimp. It’s the best Haitian restaurant in Philly. The BYOB has lots of large wooden tables, so it’s an easy place to walk in with a few friends at the last minute, pass around some wine, and eat big pieces of stewed chicken. While there are lots of dishes on the menu, they have our favorite griot in the city—and we love it in plantain form. The tender braised bits of pork have a lemony flavor, giving it a nice blend of salty and citrus. Since they close at 10pm, it’s a good solution post-bar hopping or after Happy Hour with coworkers. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Pause Unmute Food Rundown Lemonade Even though it’s a BYOB, you’ll see a lemonade (or two) on everyone’s table. They squeeze it in-house and have fruit purees to give each a sweet boost (blueberry is our favorite). Even if you forget your favorite bottle of red, you can still have a satisfying beverage. PlayMute video credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Zél Poul You won’t get wings like this anywhere else in town. They’re covered in a shiny glaze and bits of mango, so they look like a poultry present on a plate. They’re nicely baked and tossed in a sweet rum BBQ sauce that gets a punch up from the fruit. Give us some privacy with them, and lots of napkins. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Godé Banan A juicy mix of tender pork is encased in crunchy, deep-fried plantain cups. Each cup is then topped with homemade pikliz, which gives it a vegetable-heavy, pickle-y flavor and crunch. This is a delicious, must-get starter. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Rasta Pasta Although this looks like a sizable amount of pasta, you’ll want to polish off this bowl all by yourself. The jerk-spiced sauce is fragrant and loaded with scotch bonnet peppers, but it’s all balanced by the creamy richness of parmesan cheese. And the shrimp are so nicely cooked that you’ll sift through the penne pasta and thinly sliced bell peppers like they’re gold. But since they’re pretty generous with them, you won't have to search for long. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO Poule Nan Sauce Marinated overnight and then cooked in a pepper and onion red sauce, this fall-off-the-bone chicken stew is super savory. The sauce is more thin than thick, and the bits of tender vegetables swimming throughout give each forkful a nice contrast in texture. It’s firey, addictive, and something we order every time we come here. photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO" - Candis R. McLean
