Silvana

Part café, part shop for cute little items (live music and hookahs later in the day) this is the exact sort of funky spot I love to stumble upon when in a new place. Ducked in from the cold and ended up with a delicious, inexpensive, delightful late lunch.

Oh Silvana. It’s got some good things and bad things, but it basically balances out.
Food: Pretty good. Best hummus you’re going to find, plus great shakshuka and sandwiches. I wish they would give you a less stingy amount of pita.
Service: Really bad. The staff pays so little attention to customers, coffee drinks come lukewarm, and I never know if I’m supposed to order at the counter or at my table.
Atmosphere: Café has a nice energy to it, music venue is a lot of fun.
It says something that I keep coming back. It’s good to have it as a neighborhood spot, even though the quality is so inconsistent.

Please train your security personnel on how to engage potential guests in a professional manner.
On Sunday, January 3^rd, 2016, after working 14 hours, i was famished, and i had a late night dinner on a spot neighboring Silvana. After my meal, i stepped outside to enjoy a cigarette, and was greeted by several of my regular guests on the sidewalk, on their way to Silvana’s downstairs club.
That’s when i was rudely yell at by one of the bouncers:” Hey you!!!, move now with your smoke!!!”, needless to mention, i was at least 10 feet away from the entrance to the club, smoking a cigarette in front of another restaurant, on a public sidewalk, and considering joining some friends downstairs at the club.
There was another gentleman smoking next to me, and he asked me:“What is his problem?!!”, i simply replied that it was a perfect example of another under trained employee, who has been given a dose of power.
As a member of the wonderful family of restauranteurs of Harlem, it saddens me to see our community’s effort to become a go to area, being tarnished by silly actions of a few.

The music was wonderful, and I enjoyed dancing, but when I turned to look back at my drink, I noticed a man standing at the bar and tapping white powder from a small baggie into my drink in full view of bartenders and patrons. No one said anything to me. Ladies, watch your drinks and buy your own.

Best thing about Silvana, it’s cool anytime of the day.
Around brunch and lunch, you’ll get yourself a nice plate of hummus or a really good falafel.
Come the afternoon, you can spend a few hours reading, working or playing cards on the big wooden tables with a nice mint tea or a pastry.
Early evening, they have fresh beers, wine and good cocktails (the margarita is quite nice).
But most importantly, past 8 or 9 pm, they feature live concerts for a few hours in the downstairs area and then it is music and dancing till the end of the night !
Plus the staff is friendly and the drinks are affordable.
Now, on the downside, the basement is quite small and often crowded, and the restroom is not that clean. But considering how much fun i’ve had every time i was there that really seems like just a detail.

Great music most of the time.
Love to come here and relax with a hookah and some friends.
Hidden gem in Harlem.

I got the sabich sandwich consisting of eggs and eggplants, and it was very delicious.

Very laid back and friendly. Please don’t go here and expect slavish service, everyone is treated as human. Drinks are strong, food is very good, a welcome respite from the bro party across the street.

Silvana was such a good time!
My roomie invited me for a night out at Silvana so I gathered some friends and headed out to Harlem.
We arrived at about 11:40 on a Friday night, and the cover charge was $ 10. We headed downstairs and there was a live band performing. The place is small and simple; Literally a basement and basically 1 big room. The stage, tables and chairs were in the front and a whole bunch of ottomans with small round tables and seats along the wall in the back. Very mixed crowd with drinks and hookah, just relaxing, enjoying the vibe.
There’s nothing wrong with conscious live music but my friends and I were in the mood to turn up, then my roomie said «Don’t worry. The DJ’s on at 12.» We got some drinks and patiently waited for the DJ to set up and the staff to move the tables and chairs in the front. This DJ did not disappoint us from the beginning! He started off with some Hip Hop/R&B hits and ran through them pretty quickly because they mainly play African/​Reggae music. He had everyone on the dance floor all night! He switched it up between the African/​Reggae music and the Hip Hop/R&B. It was too much fun.
The staff were very friendly and worked fast. The drink prices were not bad either. I don’t know how much it costed individually but when it was my turn to buy the round I got a Bombay & Tonic, a Pinot Grigio, and a shot of Jack Daniel’s for $ 25. Not bad at all.

Silvana is a gem!
(My review is of the daytime restaurant, not the nighttime club.)
Things to love:
— although the breakfast options are limited, they are nevertheless delicious.
— One of the most affordable lunch options in the neighborhood.
— best falafel ever
— Genuine Mediterranean food through and through. — Brooklyn Roasting Company coffee always on hand.
— Seriously amazing food
Things to improve:
— Uncomfortable indoor seating
— Shoty wifi

If one of your favorite artists is playing downstairs, by all means go.
but everyone else, don’t waste your time. horrible service (both upstairs & down), uncomfortable seating, an absurd «dress code» to get into their mostly-​unfinished basement space. the food is good, but not good enough to spend time (or your money) in this very uninviting space.

Live music on a Thursday, cover songs, in English and Spanish. Constant flow of bands, musicians, artists. Inexpensive, quality drinks. A great hang out spot when you want to listen to music. Hookah is an option. Crowd is a variety: black, Hispanic, Asian, white, mixed. Great music, loved the vibe. Will come here again

I can’t speak to the food because I haven’t tried it yet, but as a place to jam to live tunes and dance the night away, Silvana certainly delivers. First piece of advice: get in before 10pm so you avoid the $ 5 – 10 cover charge. Dimly lit and evocative of a 21^st century «Casablanca,» Silvana offers plenty of seating and hookah pipes for lounging and drinking. The beer selection is very good, but expect typical Manhattan prices ($ 6 – 8 for beers, over $ 10 for cocktails). (I recommend the Silvana Lager — only $ 4!)
The night I was there, the live music was ON POINT. Full band (i.e., guitar, bass, drums) and an energetic lead singer. Think indie meets R&B with a hint of Latin flavor. Around 12:30am, a DJ took over and the middle of Silvana became a bustling dance floor. He played a mix of Jamaican dance hall, 80’s pop, and Latin Top 40, with smooth transitions in between each track. The dance floor was never toooo crowded, and there was surprisingly few creepers. All in all a fun way to spend a Saturday night in Harlem!

Silvana, never change. I don’t say this lightly: this is my fave spot to chill in Harlem. I’ve never had a bad night here. Atmosphere is reliably vibrant, positive, laid back, interesting. Staff is attentive and they’re all friends w. everyone. Daytime: you can relax in the coffee shop, and after the sun goes down, head downstairs for some quality live music, hookah and affordable Middle Eastern food, and THE VIBE is everything! Wednesday nights are the surprisingly good open mic jams for brave souls. Venue is owned by the same lovely Israeli-​and-​African immigrant couple who gave us the inimitable Shrine and yummy Yatenga. The crowd is actually mostly Harlem locals, as opposed to annoying French tourists or awkward gentrifiers. Make sure to roll in after midnight on weekends and you’ll find a sexy dance party.

I signed up for Unilocal just to write this review. I never had the inclination before as I work in the service industry and I understand that things happen. But–
Stopped into Silvana’s for a quick lunch at 10am. I ordered the Shakshuka and was really excited to try it while my boyfriend ordered a Schwarma. As we waited for our food, another family was seated next to us.
The food was taking long but we sat patiently with our cappuccino. We noticed that our server had attempted to deliver food to the family that was seated after us but the order obviously belonged to our table. He left half our order at their table, returned inside then back out with half our order. I get it– wrong table… No big deal… Right?
So while my boyfriend’s food waited to get cold we were told that my order would be out in 2 minutes. Still no problem. 15 minutes later it was not delivered and no sign of a server. When we finally saw another server we asked them to just cancel the order. We were out of time.
After an hour of waiting– we were upset. We didn’t want to make a stink about it. We just knew our experience was bad and needed to leave. But as we were leaving the server chased us to pay for the food– not to issue an apology but to pay for food we never received.
I told him I would pay for the cappuccino and nothing else. He was raising his voice– and he finished with «I don’t cook the food, bro».
No bro– you don’t cook the food but you did deliver it to the wrong table and despite our best efforts to allow for you to make it right (a simple «I’m sorry») — you made it worse.

I can’t believe I have not written a review for this place yet. I visit from time to time to do work and have some lunch. Each time I get the same thing — The Sabich Sandwich. It’s pretty much amazing and from what I’ve gathered seems to be a customer favorite. They have a great selection of interesting flavored teas and tasty cookies and sweets as well. Service is exceptional always and they have outdoor seating during the warmer months, which is great. I haven’t checked out the downstairs at night yet, but definitely will soon!

What an amazing spot! I came here when visiting New York and I enjoyed the food and live music.
The bartenders were very friendly and had a lot of great recommendations. I got their lamb shawarma and one of their mixed Caribbean cocktails. The food and drinks are pretty decently priced and there were a lot of regulars who came every weekend.
There was a jazz performance the night we went and the singers and performers were very talented! There performance was about an 1.5 hours and then another act came on. We left to go to an event but the bartenders told us there’s a DJ that comes on and then it turns into a dance party late at night.
Silvana is a great spot if you’re headed somewhere else or staying there for the night!

While visiting some friends in Harlem, we decided to smoke some hookah and check this place out. I immediately fell in love with the vibe of this place. It’s very reminiscent of a basement house party, and the staff is extremely friendly.
The hookah itself is quite tasty. They have a ticket system for coals. You get 1 – 2 tickets for free coals, which is a nice bonus. I would definitely say check this place out if you’re looking for a chill hookah spot in the Harlem area.

Came here after a long day of work. This is definitely a place to let your hair down so to speak. Dancing is encouraged and the atmosphere is laid back. Had some frozen margaritas which were definitely on point. My company stuck to Guiness and they were cold and kept on coming. Not sure on the prices and I didnt get to taste any food since the kitchen had long closed.
Bathrooms were pretty clean. There was no band playing when we were there But I would return to catch up on all that I missed.

I experienced Silvana for the first time and enjoyed myself enough to definitely come back, but this does not mean that there weren’t things that could be improved.
The things I enjoyed is that it’s a great «hipster spot» in Harlem (reminded me of something I’d find in Williamsburg). I also LOVED the diversity, as I came on a Friday night, the crowd was mostly White Europeans and Africans. The mom & pop shop was a nice feel from the typical Hookah Lounge décor and having options from sitting outside on 116^th, to inside at their upgraded cafeteria style seating, or downstairs with dim lighting, the bar and a band was nice. The food was pretty good and the portion was decent for $ 15. Our waitress was very nice, despite messing up things in our order a few times, she would give us the correct thing and let us keep the mistake.
Now what I didn’t like were the drinks, as I ordered the «Blacksheep» which contains Scotch and Brandy, yet I still tasted no alcohol and my friend felt the same about her drink. You can’t get a hookah until after 8pm, which I’ve never heard of before at any other hookah location. Also the hookah for some reason was a bit harsh. My friend and I have been smoking them for at least 10yrs and we both coughed quite a few times from the rough pulls (which could most likely be fixed by cleaning everything out). Also some of the patio and downstairs furniture wasn’t stable, which had our drinks spilling and fearing our incredibly tall hookah would fall on us. Also, only 2 shared bathrooms, so you better pray there’s no long lines! And the live bands were hit or miss, some average and some slightly above average, but no one highly impressive (we heard 3 this night and no one blew us away).
But nonetheless I would still return to Silvana’s when I’m looking for a casual place in Harlem to grab hookah, Middle Eastern food and possibly drinks (maybe if I stick to a basic Jack & Coke my drink will be better, lol).