Des Ambassades

Consistency is paramount for me, and my initial visit to this Senegalese restaurant "Les Ambassades" in 2021 during a business meeting left an indelible mark with its unforgettable fried rice, setting an unparalleled standard. Revisiting in 2023, 1 found that the restaurant's commitment to excellence remained unshaken, and their lamb dish proved that great things truly come in small spaces. My friends from Florida, sharing this delightful experience, were equally impressed. I eagerly anticipate my next visit at this remarkable restaurant.

I’ve been coming here since 2013 because they have great food. Unfortunately, the pastries and the food have not been as good. The decline started when they separated the pastry shop from the restaurant area. They increased the price of everything. The pastries taste old. This eclair is soggy but expensive. The chicken is dry. There are less tables, and the tables are sticky. It’s very sad. I remember this place used to always be full of people indoors and outdoors. Their breakfast egg sandwich was unmatched. No longer the case.

I decided to trust the collective wisdom about Des Ambassades and wasn't disappointed. Enjoyable meals served with genuine friendliness. You won't need to order side dishes due to size. The workers' kind demeanor transforms routine meals into fun experiences. We plan to return very soon.

I've practiced describing their best dishes to entice friends. Just incredible flavors from start to finish. I was pleased by how attentive and polite everyone remained. This restaurant combines quality and service perfectly! This place pleases me and I'll definitely return.

We went for breakfast pastries. Decent croissant and pain au chocolate -- not the best I've had, but not bad. What I didn't appreciate was that out of the 5 cinnamon raisin pastries, he gave me the most burned one. I frankly don't even think that one should have been out for sale.

Update: I like that they renovated the place. It is brighter and more spacious, but during the winter months, it gets very cold inside as people open the door to come in. I had to keep my coat on. Foodwise, the grilled dibi lamb has remained the best dish on the menu. I do not like that the servers are not consistent with serving the bread and mayonnaise. Service is minimal and quite slow. Review from 3 years ago (4 star rating): this is one of my favorite West African (Senegalese) restaurants in NYC. I love anything "grilled" on the menu. On my last visit, the nems were tasty and the shell perfectly crisp. The pastries are sinfully delicious. However, the shawarma was not good. The pita was too soft. Also, the burger beef patty was dry and tasteless. Just stick with the grilled dishes on the menu. I like the restaurant's ambiance. The owner and servers are very welcoming.

Glad this restaurant entered my life. The team offered quick service while remaining respectful and helpful. This spot maintains a casual, welcoming vibe. The taste makes me smile! Recommend this restaurant to your trusted circle.

The food delivered exactly what I wanted in a meal. Nothing tastes processed or old here. Their workers showed a welcoming attitude. The kitchen uses fresh ingredients at fair prices. Des Ambassades has secured our repeated visits.

This place seemed promising and I really wanted to like it. The interior was fairly spacious, nicely decorated and comfortable. There was a warm ambiance to the space. Menu had plenty of traditional Senegalese cuisine options and next door was their bakery. For my appetizer, I wanted to try both the Fish Patty and Spring Rolls, so the waitress allowed me to have a half order of each for the same price listed for one. This came with salad, along with some sweet and sour sauce. I really enjoyed the Fish Patty. The outside shell was perfectly crispy and light, while the filling consisted of plenty of well seasoned fish. The Spring Rolls were delightfully crunchy and stuffed with beef, shrimp, noodle, as well as vegetables. It was beef heavy, as I couldn't really discern much shrimp, but still quite tasty. The salad with tomatoes was a lovely fresh element. I couldn't decide between one of the several Lamb Dishes, or Fish for my entree, but when I saw the Fish Stew with Exotic Rice, I decided to get that. The Exotic Rice, deep brown in color, was so delicious! It was cooked just right and full of spices and bold flavor. However, I wasn't a fan of the fish at all. It had a weird flavor and was too fishy for me. The waitress thankfully allowed me to order something else. I chose the Maffe Lamb, which was marinated lamb with veggies, cooked in a peanut sauce. It was served with regular white rice. I expected the peanut sauce to have a more pronounced peanut flavor. The lamb was decent, wonderfully tender and full of yummy seasonings. There were some vegetables, but not that many. I also stopped by next door for dessert. I had the Hazelnut Coffee and Brownie vanilla chocolate marble sponge cake. The coffee was rich and creamy. The cake was deliciously moist, not too sweet, with a nice balance of vanilla and chocolate. There was a language barrier, so it was difficult to order and understand what was going on. The waitress was friendly and did try her best though. Also, the food came out in a timely manner. When it came to settle the bill, my friend and I noticed we were being charged higher prices than were on the paper menu we were provided at the time of dining. Apparently, the manager raised the prices without updating the menus, which is very deceptive, and frankly, unacceptable. We ended up having to pay the higher amount. The service at the pastry shop next door was very good at least. I was thinking of returning to try the Dibi Lamb (fried lamb chop), but after all the hassle I probably won't return.

The dish I had was the Thiebou Djen a fish with vegetables and exotic rice. A beautiful and delicious dish, my only issue was that the fish and vegetables were lukewarm warm compared to the rice. Their prices are affordable, no alcoholic beverages offered, water and a cold soda were fine. The server was pleasant. This restaurant is small, friendly with a calm atmosphere, you'll be able to enjoy your food and conversation and that's a plus. I recommend it and adjacent is their bakery don't pass it. Enjoy a variety of delicious treats for the sweet tooth. I like the cheesecake.

Back in New York for a little while after 10 years. Went back to this place for that perfect crispy on the outside light and buttery on the inside croissant and it's nowhere to be found. I've been in there twice now and I've asked if the croissants are fresh and the answer I get is yes, and they taste like the ones you would find at a decent place, but three days old. They are chewy and a bit gummy. Nothing special. People still seem to like the coffee here which is great, but I'm out if those pastries aren't right.

The food here is pretty good, but the service can use some improvement. The unwillingness to make basic substitutions, the attitude of some of the wait staff, and the unavailability of certain items on the menu make it not worth the price. The lamb had way too much fat on it. And the stew was too greasy. Other than that, I liked the food. It was flavorful and seemed freshly made.

Haven't been here in about 8 years and they have really fallen off. Everything is very average and they didn't have the Mac and cheese on the menu. Pricier than other Senegalese restaurants in the area. Don't think I would be back.

Service was good. Flavor of the food was on point, more heat in the yassa than we usually have, but not too overpowering. Fataya were great, as was the chicken. The fish of the yassa poisson ($18) unfortunately was so meager--all the meat when removed from the bones was in total less than one quarter cup. It was very disappointing and very strange.

Consistency is paramount for me, and my initial visit to this Senegalese restaurant "Les Ambassades" in 2021 during a business meeting left an indelible mark with its unforgettable fried rice, setting an unparalleled standard. Revisiting in 2023, I found that the restaurant's commitment to excellence remained unshaken, and their lamb dish proved that great things truly come in small spaces. My friends from Florida, sharing this delightful experience, were equally impressed. I eagerly anticipate my next visit at this remarkable restaurant.

I love their pastries but, unfortunately the two times I been there the guy behind taking orders always has an attitude and it's just not an enjoyable experience.

This was our favorite meal on our recent trip to NYC. I had the attieke with grilled fish and my partner had the lamb. The lamb was definitely the star of the show, worth another visit the next time we are in town. We dined early, so the restaurant was not packed when we got there, there were only about 2 other tables with other diners. Our server was friendly, polite, and attentive. 10/10 dining experience.

Really great West African food. Richest tasting jolof rice I've ever had, excellent groundnut stew which I don't think you can get at any of the other nearby West African places. I'm excited to go back and try more of their menu!

I paid $15.80 for this. And it had no sauce. Tasted ok but def not worth the price...at all. Should be $7-8 tops.

I decided to bring my kids here to order some takeout food. The manager personally handed me a menu with prices attached. When I finish ordering and paid through my card I noticed that he had overcharged me. I thought that he had just made a simple mistake but when I confronted him about my bill, he told me that the prices on the menu isn't the actual prices & they have yet to change the prices. He started nervously laughing while trying to apology for not updating the menu prices. I will never go to this place again and I strongly recommend for anyone who does to take notice of your bill & conduct your own calculations due to fraud that I endured with my children present.

My people knows what we want , the bread and croissants yoooo it's on top notch, the African food especially the lamb is amazing , but don't limit yourself try anything , everything is nice ,

We had an early dinner here and really liked it. This place had great food AND great service (rare for africans spots). We had both dibi and a few sides and all enjoyed the meal. Will def recommend

This review is for the restaurant, not the pastry shop. Food is absolutely incredible. Service not great, but who cares. (Well, it would have been nice to have my water refilled.) Thiebu yapp was the star of the show. Lamb was stewed so that it was really tender while still having a nice gamey bite. "Exotic" rice and the sauce both full of flavor. Really wonderful. Maffe lamb (peanut stew) was as it usually is, but this is a good rendition. We were less impressed by the Comoros Curry. It was fine but nothing special, vegetables were a bit soggy and the stew was watery.

The food is yummy. But there is one worker behind the counter who is rude. It's too bad he has such a nasty attitude.

Unfortunately my experience only left me to say their Bissop juice was good. I have nothing more to add .

My sister bought two slices of cake- one that was white chocolate and the other was milk chocolate. The cake was inedible. It was dry and it was spoiled. I cannot believe the bakery had the nerve to sell such old and expired items. If we continued to finish these cakes we would have certainly gotten food poisoning. I would give them zero stars if possible. I am reporting this bakery to Department of Health.

It was my 2nd time stopping by here during the pandemic. I don't live in the neighborhood, so it's actually a special treat for me to stop by here. I thought the service was very good. They were very courteous to me. I LOVE their pastries. I love their ginger juice( wow, what a kick)! I enjoyed the iced-latte yesterday. Also, I love the prices too. They are reasonable. You can't find prices like this in other parts of Manhattan, trust me. God Bless Patisserie Des Ambassades. I plan to come here to eat for many years to come.

I won't be coming back here. I went in for a simple coffee and danish to hold me over before grocery shopping because Double Dutch was so busy. This place was empty, and I wonder if not for reason. The gentleman working was rude. I thought maybe I came across rude by being on my phone so attempted to correct my behavior and apologize. Still, rude.. pointed to everything with short irritable responses. Rolled eyes at me. I left.. ridiculous for no reason. No thank you.

Rude service and unsanitary conditions. Small roach found in drink, told by employee it's the "season of roaches ". Disgusting. Save your money and time.

Our waiter was horribly unfriendly. My friend had the tilapia and it was burnt on the outside and tasteless in the inside (of what could be eaten). Vegetarian Maffe was okay. Would never go back nor recommend to anyone. Unfriendly service is a deal breaker. Too many restaurants to choose from in the area to go back to this establishment.

worst experience. I ordered food for takeout they didn't give me no dressing for the salad and no onions for couscous. I called back the restaurant and the host was very rude and unpleasant .

First time here- met to eat breakfast before a business meeting with coworkers. We all ordered the EXACT same dish; veggie egg scramble with a side of bacon. We even commented on how funny it was we ordered the same thing- then our waitress comes back with three different orders. How the heck do you mess that up? My order was the only one that was correct. My other coworker wanted to send hers back to get the right dish, and the waitress snatched up her dish saying "well, I heard you ordered _____!" (Another dish). And she stalked off. I then looked at my own order and noticed a huge hair on my plate (see photo)... but after I saw how upset the waitress was over her OWN mistake, i couldn't risk what *might* happen if I dared show her this. I cut my food down the middle, pushed the half with the hair off to another plate, carefully inspected the rest of my food and ate it. It was greasy and had canned mushrooms in it. Nasty. I want to throw up just thinking about the fact I ate this. I should not have eaten or paid for a damn thing and just left. I rarely give 1 star reviews but this place deserves it.

This is my neighborhood patisserie. Rarely on a good day you will get fresh bakery goods. Most of the times they are selling you day old crossiants at $2.75 a piece. The price for a fresh one. We called to complained before but no changes were made. I guess the manager feels like the customers wouldn't know fresh from stale crossiants so why bother. No pride in their business.

Their almond crossaint literally give you pleasure. Fresh, fragrant and tasty. Best spot to endulge.

Food was amazing! Can never go wrong with getting attiecke and whatever protein option you want. Also vegetarian options there as well. The service was great. The waiter I had that night was very kind and helpful. I highly recommend. Please try the attieke if you never had. It's cassava. If you love cassava, you will love attieke.

I came here over a year ago with my girls, and at first, I was impressed by the scenery, and thought that it was a fine establishment, or so I thought. It took a while to get a table, and then once we did and were given our menus (on iPads, which I have to admit is pretty cool) we didn't see the server for what felt like almost thirty minutes or maybe more. Not to mention, one of the servers (or a man who was not a server, it is still unclear) threw down his pad in front of my friend and told her to give him her number. She told him that she was engaged and it took not just her word, but mine, and another friend of ours for him to leave her alone. And then afterward the server we had shamed her and told her she was lying. That is no way to treat a lady, or anyone in such an establishment. So not only was the service terrible, but the Nem appetizer that one of my friends received had spoiled ingredients in it. I ordered the Nem, before my friend did and was pleased to know that mine was not spoiled, but after realizing what this establishment is capable of, I will definitely not be trying the Nem or anything else on the menu ever again. Anyone looking for a Senegalese restaurant in Harlem, I suggest going anywhere else. If you do, expect bad service, and spoiled food, especially if you go late at night.

The customer service is just not it. Could barely hear the guy and his entire demeanor was extremely dismissive. I was looking forward to having a nice lil inch since a friend recommended the place but the customer service was just a turn off.

Weirdly enough, the most authentic Senegalese dishes were not on the menu. But they're available, you just have to ask your server. Try dishes such as Yassa chicken, meat or veggies maffe, tièb... The fish patties were pretty good, the food over all was alright, probably good if you've never had Senegalese food. But if you know your way around Senegalese/West African food, it's definitely nothing to write home about.

This is a tough review to give. I have eaten on both the sit down and take out side of this place and have vastly different things to say about each. Service was awful on the sit down side. They just did not understand the concept of service I think. I was waiving my hand back and forth and they still would not acknowledge me. Eventually a Senegalese family having lunch next to us had enough and yelled at the staff in their language bc we just needed a little service. It was crazy. Food was eh. Also They did not bus any tables the entire time we were there. Check out this picture On the bakery side, they were cheerful, helpful and food was delicious.

Tasty Senegalese/French bakery and cafe. Great drip coffee, flakey tasty bakery treats. Veggie eggs full of fresh veggies. Just the place you hoped for if you're looking for a tasty breakfast.

I don't understand the disconnect. If you're going to charge $20 for a burger at least make sure you're not serving very low quality chuck-meat full of bones & gristle. Spent $40 on two burgers and fries for it to practically be inedible considering every bite contains pieces of bone and grit. Nothing enjoyable or satisfying about this experience. Won't be back, I've had better $7 burgers from a deli.

Food is excellent but they run out of everything quick. I had to change my dish three times because they said no more. The dish i was craving for they ran out. I'm so upset. Your best bet is to come early.

this review is re: bakery takeout only-- clean environment. attentive, friendly, and swift service. Got the chouquettes, almond croissant, and a chocolate chip/ scone like situation ( apologies forget the name ). Chouquettes are top notch 5/5. not pictured here bc I ate it too fast. but a must get. Almond croissant - filling was not the usual almond paste I'm used to. so so 3/5 will definitely be back to try the food and chouquettes!

Great spot, I've been going there on occasion for years. Great food, great ambience. Also this is a place to chill. The food is cooked to perfection I was shown this place by a Senegalese person so I know it's legit. I recommend the Dibi and vermicelli. Bon appitite

We came to les ambassades (right next door to the patisserie) for dinner and ordered the thiebu djen (fish in tomato sauce with couscous), curry chicken, and lamb Dibi (grilled lamb chops). Food was great with huge portions. However, they weren't serving huge portions of their menu (all the appetizers, about half the sides, and some of their main dishes). The thiebu djen was my favorite dish we tried. The stewed fish was delicious and hearty and the tomato sauce was flavorful with just a hint of spiciness. They gave us a huge amount of couscous which was flavored really nicely with the tomato sauce as well. The curry chicken was okay, the onions in the curry chicken were flavorful and deliciously seasoned, but the chicken itself was a little over cooked. The dibi lamb was great. The lamb chops were perfectly grilled with a nice char and seasoned really well. Lamb was not over cooked and the grill brought out its natural flavors. The plantains were cooked perfectly. They were lightly fried and crisp but not greasy. It's too bad that there were so many items on the menu not being served, would've liked to try some other things.

Dissapointing breakfastat Patisserie des Ambassedes Went there for breakfast Friday, 12-8-17. I ordered two eggs sunny-side up with home fries & beef sausage. I also ordered coffee,orange juice & rye toast with butter. The first indication that this might be a less than great breakfast came while ordering. Our waitress seemed to have a problem understanding what toast is. She questioned it. I'm pretty sure she never heard the word "rye" before from the way she questioningly repeated "rye" a couple times. This did not bode well. The food arrived, confirming my fear. The sunny-side-up eggs were tiny & overcooked. The yolks are supposed to be runny for dipping toast into. These yolks were mostly cooked solid. Not much dipping. The sausage, which was $2 extra consisted of one single, dry, skinny breakfast link sliced in half. One link for $2.00 extra. I did not get rye toast. Nor the wheat or white substitutes, as I had instructed the waitress. The toast I received were three medallions of Italian bread that did not look toasted. I had to touch the white part of the bread to feel that it had a very slight toasted crust. But the bread was as white as if it were just sliced from a fresh loaf. The coffee was warm, not hot. The hash browns seemed prepackaged. I'm pretty sure I've had these exact hashbrowns before in airport restaurants. The potatoes were all uniform 1/4 inch cubes. Machine cut automatically. Not cut by hand. I paid way too much for this disappointing breakfast. $2.00 for one skinny link!! $17 total for my breakfast. Not worth it.

I stumbled across this bakery while I was desperate for a croissant fix, so I decided to give this a try. I ordered an almond croissant and a plain croissant to go. It was pretty cheap as I only paid $6.25 for two pastries. I liked the plain croissant - buttery, flaky on the outside, soft inside and had many layers. However, I didn't really like the almond croissant. It was thin and had overly sweetened almond filings. I ended up only eating the crust of the almond croissant because I couldn't eat the paste inside. Also, this place doesn't have alternative milks for their coffees. I wanted to get almond latte but they didn't have it. I had to go to Double Dutch cafe ext door to complete my breakfast.

Background: I was exploring the city with a friend of mine and we both got really hungry. I was craving Senegalese food so I stopped here to grub on their national dish. I ordered fish patties for my appetizer, a bottle of ginger, and Thiebu Djen and plantains for my entree Pros: 1) Staff was very friendly and was open to making suggestions on what to eat 2) Clean Bathroom 3) Loved their ginger juice!!!! 4) Cons 1) The Thiebu Djen Dish was not written on their menu. This national dish is extremely popular and I do understand that it typically runs out fast, but by excluding it from their menu, one would be under the assumption that they did not supply this meal. 2) Rice was dry 3) Plantains were extremely oily and basically tasteless 4) Not sure what kind of fish they used, but it was not good at all Overall: their fish patties were amazing but I was truly disappointed with their Thiebu Djen. I am West African therefore I am pretty familiar with most African dishes. This might have been the worst Thiebu Djen I've ever tasted. As noted above, the rice was dry, and the fish was tasteless. I ordered a side of plantains halfway through my meal. It took 20 minutes to come and by the time it did, I was done. I literally eat plantains at any time of the day and with almost every meal. These plantains were just gross. It was not seasoned at all and I could taste nothing by the oil they were drowned in. The cook shared no love at all today. I don't plan on coming back. And if I do, I won't be ordering Thiebu Djen.

I stopped into Patisserie Des Ambassades for lunch yesterday. I got a chicken kebab lunch special which came with a side and a coke. I believe that that combo was $12, which isn't bad at all. I had started with an appetizer of "nem," which are basically small fried spring rolls. Dipped in the accompanying sauce, those were delicious. The fries were good. The kebabs were pretty good. Chicken kebabs can really only be good or terribly cooked. And, unlisted on the menu, they came delivered with a bowl of a curry-ish broth with vegetables (I've had this before but can't think of a name for it). That was tasty and significantly added to the flavor and uniqueness of the dish. The restaurant is spacious enough, the seating is comfortable, and the decor does enough to provide a sense of place and of comfort but it's somewhat understated. The service was timely and friendly. There seemed to be a bit of a disconnect on that front, though, which seemed to be a hybrid of a cultural and a training issue. It was very forgivable, but there were a few moments with the hostess and with the server where it seemed like we were talking past each other. Even so, they were pleasant, present and timely, so the experience was positive.

Yesterday afternoon was my very first time trying patisserie des ambassades after a long time hearing about the great taste of your pastries but definitely my last time! Such a bad customer service I've never experience it in my life ! That cashier really has attitude issues

This is a cute little bakery. We noticed it while walking home from dinner and decided to give it a try to get some dessert. The bakery portion is pretty tiny, but has enough room for people to stand comfortably. There was a restaurant portion too, but we did not check it out. The pastries are in glass displays, and they had a pretty good selection even at 7pm. They are not labeled though, so be prepared to point at what you want or give it a guess. I decided to go with the chocolate croissant (I think). It is a spiral croissant-like creation with a good amount of chocolate. For $2.50, it was a really good deal! It is pretty big and definitely enough for two people to share. They do take credit, but have a $10 credit card minimum, so make sure you bring cash if you are only planning on getting one or two items.

Given that the unhelpful cashier has a serious attitude problem, this place would benefit from adding descriptions of its pastries inside the display booth. The cashier didn't appreciate having to answer any questions about the different pastries and actually doing his job to assist customers. We would have purchased a lot more, if we didn't have to deal with his attitude.

The Food here is really good. If you want good, tasty, African food with some French techniques and desserts, then come here. I have never been disappointed. And I got the chicken with onions, forgot the name of the dish but it's good.

Our server was not very welcoming. Never smiled, and used the term "I don't know" a lot. Their check books need to be replaced. They were falling apart as the server handed it to us. My choice of entree was just ok. I don't think I'd be back. The ambiance was nice and I liked the decor and paintings.

If you've never had Senegalese food, definitely give this place a try! Was drawn into the shop by gorgeous looking pastries and stayed for the mouthwatering scents from the cafe. Boyfriend and I shared the two lunch specials - unfortunately I can't remember what they were called, but check out the photos. One was a stew with lamb and carrots in a tomato base, served with rice. The tomato sauce was really delicious. The other was a fried rice dish with grouper, cabbage, carrots, and yucca. Very tasty. Of course, had to try the pastries on the way out. Raspberry tart was amazing and chocolate croissant was very well made. Friendly staff and cozy feel.

Randomly stopped in the place for lunch. The outdoor seating was perfect for the weather that day. The service was horrific though. It took them 15 minutes for someone to even come and give us water. Once we got our food, they took forever to come check back on us, which only happened once. Then it took forever to get the check. I will say the food was great! I'd go back for the food, but maybe just for delivery.

We were pretty big group (6 people) and having hard time finding table in this neighbor for Sunday brunch, so ended up tried this place and it was pretty good. 1. The foods took forever--average 15 minutes as I recall, and mine took another 10 min. Our server was still very nice and she gave me a free juice so that sort of compensated the delay. 2. I had Egg Benedict Ambassades, was little skeptical about the waffle and egg combination but it was great! My friends had pasta, quiche and some other menus and we were all pretty happy with our foods (It might be also because we're getting hungry) 3. We had desserts also, they were pretty good in general but the portion was very small. 4. There is only one bathroom which I found a bit inconvenient.