Ms Rita’s Place

We went on a Sunday morning at 11 and it completely empty, except for what I think was the owner’s granddaughter watching cartoons and a man picking up food to go.
The place is very clean, comfortable, and appropriately decorated for the holidays. The ambience was suitable for large parties and families and casual dates. As for he food, I was blown away by my fried chicken and sweet potato waffle — the waffle type was novel and kicked your traditional chicken and waffles up a notch. My partner got the shrimp and grits which was also good (but I definitely ordered the better dish ;)) the prices were very fair and I love how the menu is small! They serve a few things but they’re done well.

Came here 2x. First time I ordered the chicken and sweet potato waffle. The waffle was full of flavor and thick. Definitely bang for my buck since they honor student discounts of 10%. The second time I ordered a roasted chicken dinner with two sides: sweet potatoes + Mac and cheese. OMGGGGGG! The sides were amazinggggggg, I wanted to cry when they were finished. I’ll be back soon just ordering two sides of yams and Mac and cheese lol

a charming family run business with absolutely delicious food. very friendly, clean, and it feels like you are in the family living room. truly «comfort food» :)

Holy cow! This place is wonderful. We had the ribs with collard greens, Mac and cheese, and an order of the kids cheeseburger sliders with fries. They forgot the cheese on the sliders and they were a bit peppery but still delicious! The ribs were nice and moist. The Mac and cheese was seriously some of the best I have ever had in a southern restaurant. I highly recommend it!

Ms. Rita’s place is a hidden genuine gem in East Harlem. Extremely friendly waitstaff, but let’s discuss the food. The food, HUNTY, oh my goodness the food! When you have your first bite of food, you are being transported back home. This new restaurant brings definition to comfort food; this is cooking that is better than my mother’s and grandmother’s. Has very reasonable prices too! Please, don’t hesitate to try this place out, I will certainly return here

Mac and Cheese and collard greens were the bomb!!! Chicken and waffles were pretty good too. Whiting fish should have some seasoning, pretty bland they can do better with that.
Nice, clean, small restaurant with great customer service. Ms. Rita is wonderful. Support your local neighborhood restaurants. I hope she stays around for good. We will return.

Finally, something decent in this food desert of East Harlem. And it’s not another corporate fast food joint. The place itself is small but super clean. The staff is very friendly, I chatted with I believe the owner’s daughter and she was very nice. Didn’t have to wait too long for my take out. Has the feel of a neighborhood joint.
Onto the food: DELICIOUS. Ribs were juicy, tender, and had the perfect amount of a sweet and tangy bbq sauce. Not too fatty either. Mac and cheese was savory and creamy. Fries were crisp and fresh. One tip though: I would suggest serving the fries in a box separate from the rib platter. Probably during my walk home the fries ended up stuck to the mac and cheese and ribs, which was a little messy.
Loved the food and I’m so glad this place is here. I hope it lasts and I recommend you try it out.

Very nice «mom n pop» restaurant with friendly workers which u can tell is family run. Hope they last in this neighborhood all they need is a little word of mouth because it goes a long way. the food is good too.

Although the seating area is very small, the staff was very welcoming. We both ordered the fried porkchop. I had it with a side of mac-​n-​cheese. Both were to die for. I hope this place survives, as its location doesn’t see much foot traffic. I will definitely be back soon.

My boyfriend just picked up Mac and cheese sweet potatoes and the sliders
Mac and cheese perfection and so is the sweet potatoes and the sliders were really really good very good customer service