Amy Ruth’s Homestyle Southern Cuisine

A small, unpretentious oasis for homestyle Southern cooking, Amy Ruth’s is the ideal place to visit when you’re hungry for both food and nostalgia. Founded by restaurateur Carl Redding in 1998 in tribute to his grandmother, Amy Ruth’s has evolved from a neighborhood gathering place into one of New York City’s favorite locations for hearty portions of stick-to-your-ribs soul food.

With an atmosphere at once homey and culturally enriching, Amy Ruth’s décor boasts Afrocentric artwork and a menu featuring dishes named after African Americans of past and present significance. A typical day sees everyone from churchgoers enjoying breakfast to local and outer-borough businesspeople, artists, merchants, and Con Ed workers a like enjoying lunch and dinner together.

If you’re looking for the best of the best of Amy Ruth’s cuisine, your best bet is to go straight for the waffle menu. Highly recommended is the Reverend Al Sharpton ($9.50 a plate), an enticingly salty-sweet combination of fried or smothered chicken over crisp, buttery waffles. Less popular but still delicious is the Reverend Thomas Johnson ($13.95 a plate), waffles with fried catfish. Those looking to satisfy their sweet tooths can partake of the Guy Woods and Shay Barnett ($8.95 a plate), waffles with cinnamon, fresh banana, and pecans, or the Bishop Charles Reed ($8.95 a plate), waffles with sautéed apples. And, of course, those looking for plain and simple can stick to the Rev. Michael A. Walrond Jr. ($6.95 a plate), Amy Ruth’s original waffles, which can be served a la mode for an extra $3 or simply dressed up with 100% pure maple syrup.

For those who are on high-protein diets (or who simply aren’t waffle fans), the Terry Rivers ($13.95 a plate) southern honey-dipped fried chicken is a juicy, greasy, flat-out delicious option, rivaling the equally savory Stan Hoffman & Lu Willard ($13.95 a plate) bar-b-q spare ribs. Seafood lovers would do well to order the Lewis H. Latimer Progressive Association ($12.95 a plate) crispy, creamy salmon croquettes or the Chrissa Chin ($16.95 a plate) bourbon-cured salmon fillet with peach butter. Of course, don’t forget to pair any of these entrees with such side dishes as baked macaroni and cheese, Amy’s five-star mashed potatoes (from scratch!), and collard greens.

As its menu attests, Amy Ruth’s isn’t much of a place for vegetarians. However, those abstaining from meat and fish can still eat up at the Salad Corner (that is, if plain waffles aren’t your thing). The Honorable David Patterson ($9.95 a plate), a garden burger with tossed salad, and the Joshua Bass ($11.95 a plate), vegetable lasagna with tossed salad, are your best bets.

If you aren’t already stuffed to the gills, Amy Ruth’s dessert menu is worth a taste or three. In addition to the Ressie Mae Bass traditional sweet potato pie, Amy Ruth’s also serves up the mouthwatering Charmaine “Cake Diva” Jones rum de rum cake, the Neal Shoemaker peach cobbler, and the Inez Bass red-velvet cake. Those looking for something plainer and simpler but still traditionally southern can satisfy themselves with the C. Virginia Fields country bread pudding, which might even sway the most hardcore chocoholics, at least temporarily.

Amy Ruth’s alcohol policy is strictly BYOB, so if you’re looking for an eatery with a well-stocked bar and/or the choicest Veuve Cliquot, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Its size and popularity also make for a bit of a wait at times, and reservations aren’t accepted except for parties of 15 or more, so you’ll have to bite your tongue and paste a smile on your face, particularly during lunch and dinner rush and “Jammin’ on the Mic” night, a live music show featured on the fourth Friday of every month. However, Amy Ruth’s is available for private dining, party space, and takeout.

Amy Ruth’s is open from 7:30 am-11 pm Sundays through Thursdays and 24 hours Fridays and Saturdays. Entrée prices range from $8.95-$18.95. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are all accepted.

113 W. 116^th Street

(between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard)

New York, NY 10026

Phone: 212-280-8779

Subways: 2, 3 to 116^th Street

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By Karla Keffer:

Karla Keffer is a freelance writer based in Astoria, NY. She is a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and New York University. Her poems and articles have appeared in Smartish Pace, Limozine, New York Construction, and the All Stars Project's Quarterly E-Newsletter.

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