5 & Diamond

Stopped by to try out the Monday Mac & Cheese evening. Selected the short rib mac & cheese that was to die for! With a perfect accompaniment of the best broccolini in town.

I love to go here and see what new creations the chef has added to the menu. Check out the new 3 leches dessert! The staff is considerate and very friendly. My favorite place.

It's apparent that this restaurant has evolved into into a secret gem. During my last visit ( March 15,2011) the cozy dining room was filled with celebrities...I recognized Eli Zabar, from, yes, Zabar's , dining with 5 other people, a couple of well known actors from Law and Order sitting on a corner table sipping sangria, and for a Tuesday night, it felt that this was the spot to be, and be seen... The food was incredible. From the Scallops to the Steak, everything was perfect. The service was on cue, friendly, knowledgeable and non-intrusive. An exceptional experience overall!!

I've been a regular customer of 5 & Diamond for the last 10 months and what started out as a breath of fresh air in Harlem is starting to become more like a Fabreeze-covered dining room. I normally visit the restaurant for brunch, so I will speak from that experience. I was thrilled upon my first visit in early May to discover freshly baked biscuits and homemade strawberry jam served promptly before my delicious and stylish brunch order arrived. Fast-forward to last week: my biscuits and jam tasted & looked like they were taken from a pre-packaged Pillsbury tube and Smuckers jar. Not to mention that my guest and I waited nearly 20 minutes for them to arrive at our table. My side of bacon arrived well before my pancakes (which were dry as the Sahara). This meant the biscuits, bacon and drycakes all went cold in no time. Ten months ago, overall service was impeccable, dishes were immaculate and I left feeling glad that I came. Now, I have to ask for my stemware to be re-cleaned because it has streaks and water stains, I pick at leftover crumbs that weren't properly wiped off, all while questioning my loyalty to this restaurant. The one nice thing still left to admire is the demeanor of the wait staff and the bartender. They are always accommodating when trouble arises, but more importantly they are engaging and extremely friendly. Maybe that's it - maybe I have a sweet spot for their staff. I would like to regain that same admiration for the restaurant as a whole. With lots of competitors popping up in Harlem, getting their service back to the way it was at its inception would not only be the right thing to do, but also the more profitable thing to do. When 5 & Diamond regains its fervor for excellence, I will surely recommend it to everyone I know who will appreciate it.

Their homemade pappardelle with lamb ragout warms you inside and out! Pair it with one of their great wines and forget that it's winter outside. Friendly, comfortable restaurant. I love that it's in my neighborhood!

Enjoyed a nice Sunday brunch in this warm and cozy Harlem restaurant. It was kid friendly, and has a good kid menu. Wait staff is knowledgable and accommodating, willing to tweak the menu for you if necessary. Good food and great Bloody Mary! I would go again.

I've eaten here a few times now, I can say that the food is consistently good and of high quality. It's a cozy place and the kitchen staff clearly cares about the cuisine. Front of the house is another story, however. There is a floor manager who apparently does nothing but talk to her favorite patrons and regulars and one waiter. Service is very slow as a result. And even with the limited staff, you just don't get a sense that they really understand what service should look like at these prices. Which brings me to my last point - the prices are too high to be having these kinds of service issues. 5&D needs to fix the service issues - fast.