Alke Café

Restaurant · Central Harlem

Alke Café

Restaurant · Central Harlem
1838 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY 10026

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Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null
Alke Café by null

Highlights

Alke is a vibrant café and bar in Harlem, pairing Southern-inspired bites with live music, a cozy atmosphere, and great coffee right by Central Park.  

Featured in Grub Street
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1838 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY 10026 Get directions

alkecafe.co
@alkecafe

$10–20 · Menu

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1838 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY 10026 Get directions

+1 646 360 3920
alkecafe.co
@alkecafe

$10–20 · Menu

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Last updated

Jul 7, 2025

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Sasha Diamond-Lenow

Google
I love this place! It is such a gem for the area! Great energy, awesome event options including comedy, music, special events! I recently went to an incredible special tasting menu that had northern Nigerian specialities that was mind blowing! Monday night comedy is always fun with great drinks from a great bar staff and energy. Alke is also open for coffee which is always nice especially to grab on a walk to the park with the pup or to sit outside when weather allows

Maria Ortega

Google
I am so happy a new cafe & bar opened up in the neighborhood. The atmosphere is excellent and the service was fabulous. I had and iced matcha latte with oat milk and my best friend had an iced latte with oat milk. Both drinks were strong and delicious. We ordered a cheese croissant and a chocolate one. Both were super fresh & soft on the inside. We chose to enjoy our coffee and tea in the outside seating area. The barista was lovely and attentive. I highly recommend this place both on atmosphere and quality of products. I encourage you to support this black owned business the next time you come to Harlem.

Malcolm Martin

Google
This place is like an oasis in the madness of NYC, with an old town charm and the most friendly owner/bar tender! Shout out to Ginet!!! Great food, good vibes and serene atmosphere. Definitely recommend the Monday night comedy shows!

Ms. J

Google
This spot took over my long time fave "Cantina" restaurant, but Alke is a perfect new neighborhood spot for coffee or cocktails. The music, lighting & libations just right for a girls' catch up session on a cold rainy Sunday.

Carolina Morales

Google
The cocktails were just ok tasting to me. I didn’t really love the drinks but at least I know what not to get or recommend next time. Harlem Juju was my least favorite and the Soul Ties could have been better. They both had bitter tastes to them. But at least the samosas were good.

John Diebold

Google
The perfect spot to relax after a walk in Central Park! Friendly waiter, chill atmosphere, and tasty food and drinks. The Jebna Buna coffee is a must!

Ben Kotton

Google
We had a great time sitting at the bar and getting to know the bartender and owner who was exceedingly welcoming and friendly. Great conversation, great vibes, terrific service. Looking forward to coming back

anthony segura

Google
Such a great experience. Beautiful welcoming atmosphere, great coffee and cocktails and delicious food. Awsome date spot!!!

Aurora L.

Yelp
Amazing! Went here for a poetry night for my husband's birthday. Another organization was hosting but we had such a beautiful experience! The food was delish and the drinks were good! I love that they have non alcoholic options for those of us that don't drink. Also if you haven't tried their coffee you need to that was the highlight of my night soooo tasty! The ambiance was great, very comfortable and overall the service was amazing. It felt super welcoming ! Oh and btw Central Park is across the street so really cute date idea if you want to take a little stroll and unwind.

Mike R.

Yelp
Alke Restaurant & Coffee Bar (per their website, maybe a.k.a. Alke Cafe) looked like a nice venue to have a bite or cocktail, part of a series of new African-inspired cuisine restaurants opening in Harlem outside of the W. 116th Street corridor. Given my other positive experiences and excited to try Alke out, discovered that, despite being a "Coffee Bar" that's open (again, per their site) "From Sun Up, to Sun Down," the earliest they open is 3 PM. (From my estimate, 3 PM is approximate sunrise in New Caledonia, about 8700 miles away!) Noted it offers a Monday Stand-up Comedy Night, but decided to go for the Wednesday Trivia Night. By far, things did not match up to my expectations! (Note - And not because of the Trivia, which was fun.) Since it was the evening, I held off on getting the coffee but ordered the Chicken Yassa, listed on their menu as an entrée with a caramelized onions and lemon sauce on a bed of rice. Although Alke's online menu listed Chicken Yassa as $12, it was corrected on the restaurant's menu to $17. I didn't think too much since I recognize typos happen and/or prices change. See pic of what I got! While Alke's dish was well-prepared and delicious, it seriously had only 1 (one) drumstick and an ice cream scoop size portion of rice for $17!!! Outrageous! What a RIP-OFF!!! Considering the person in the table next to me ordered the wings for $12 and later received 8 wings, I couldn't believe that they served me an entrée portion. When the waitress, who is also Alke's owner, came with the check I asked her how long it was opened... apparently 8 months. I mentioned to her, while my food was delicious, how outrageous it was to get only one drumstick for an entrée. She replied something about food costing money and the trivia was for free to participate. (7 teams played, plus they gave away $50 1st prize and $25 2nd prize.) I responded it could have had at least two drumsticks! She was absolutely unapologetic and obviously lost. Did she reduce the portion from the every other day size because the Trivia costs something?! Seriously! There are options if the numbers don't work out: either charge for Trivia or don't give as big prizes, or whatever... but don't skimp on what is presented as a main course portion, especially when the bill for that alone with tax is $18.50! Given her response, I regret also automatically giving any tip! Of course, I recognize how hard it is to open a restaurant and build a business. Who knows? Perhaps she's strained by the rent. Given Alke's limited hours, perhaps she's running it as a one person show which I understand would be a struggle. (Which is why I give it two stars not one.) Nevertheless, Alke's owner has made a place that's a total lost opportunity! The space is warm and inviting with stone walls, exposed brick, and white ceiling beams that also (1) is a couple blocks from Central Park and (2) has limited competing restaurants in an immediate radius! Plus, the tasty Chicken Yassa she served me was at best (not really) an appetizer portion, yet again her menu lists it as an entrée! $17 for a single drumstick and a tiny portion of rice? Seriously? If the portion was anywhere either close to entrée size or sized/priced proportionally as an appetizer, I'd be going back. I live in the neighborhood and could have been a regular, but not if she's going to try to pass off anything like that small as a meal! There's no excuse - even if Alke's owner informed me (which she didn't) it was Silkie or Golden Chicken she procured downtown at The Tin Building market! (See my review.) Beyond that Alke's owner by leveraging all the advantages of its location, especially with better weather ahead, could benefit from opening earlier, if not as an actual place to get morning coffee or weekend brunch and with reasonable lunch specials, to get people to try out their food, build their customer base and revenue stream. Regardless, her response to my feedback killed it for me, even if I noted the wings or sliders might be a better deal - I'm not going back, even to try its $15 cup (unbelievable) of Ethiopian coffee (which is served with some sort of Ethiopian snack). An absolute shame! I go out of my way to support a good local business in my neighborhood, but given the disappointing response from Alke's owner truly unfortunately this won't be one!

Elizandra S.

Yelp
Found this gem on IG! Ambiance is awesome! Owner and crew work together like a family to make sure we had an awesome experience! French fries were fresh with the perfect spicy zest! Never had anything like those! The entree was amazingly delectable! Wonderful hospitality and magnificent meal right after amateur night at the Apollo. Thank you for accommodating us at the time we came in and providing amazing experience. if you're ever in the area, you have to check it out you will not be disappointed!