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I have been in this neighborhood for 8 years and seen this place change around a bit. The food hands down is great, tastes delicious, good value...the service is the opposite. I have been a server and bartender for almost 10 years so it takes a lot for me to complain. Even on the busiest nights or brunches they have only one to two servers. For something that's close to 20 tables? Unheard of! Often the meal comes before the drinks, or you wait for 30-40 minutes for an entree! Its always a great meal (I think I've complained once or twice in the last 5 years-and we go twice a month, so that's not bad!) I keep coming back for the food, but really they need to add more servers during busy times. As far as the atmosphere, it's cute, but lacking a lot of character in the main dining area. The bar area, which was recently converted in the last year or so, so great!! Over all it really is a great place...not just for the neighborhood, but for the city. As long as you know what you're getting into service wise, then you'll love this place!

The good: sauteed bok choy in a light soy sauce was tender/crisp, perfect and seasoned nicely. the potato tart was outstanding; a touch of onion, nicely seasoned, rich but not fatty. I loved it. The bad: for the bread, the waiter handed us a single meager thin half slice of dark bread that was dry and bland, with a scoop of odd tasteless orange puree instead of butter. UGH. The crab cakes looked great, browned nicely, a good size. But they were dry, bland, and tasted like canned salmon or tuna. My husband's bento was varied and interesting, of uneven quality.

A "go to" in the neighborhood when we're not in the mood for Mexican or Indian. Menu is huge, food is good, service is a little slow but not terrible. A fine place for a relaxing not-too-expensive evening.

This is by far my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood (and I come from the 160s for it). The food is delicious and something always hits my tastebuds like I need it to. I especially like the place in summer for late afternoon dinners as the sun is setting. Ive watched it go through its transformation with the renovations and what not, and yes, it was better before, but it seems like they (the staff/owners) are all just adjusting as things keep changing. But hey, change isn't always a bad thing. I think once everything really calms down then they'll find the perfect niche again. One thing, is that the wait staff can be a little slow. Just a little. This I noticed even before the renovations. If youre complaining about how long it takes or your food to come out, then maybe you should look at what you ordered and how you ordered it...somethings take a while to cook. I have never had a problem with waiting on food here. Just staff, but even that wasn't TERRIBLY bad. So yes, this is my favorite restaurant (aside from New Leaf and Garden Cafe, to be honest) from 160th-207th. So I guess its in my top three!

First - the delivery service is super speedy. The restaurant service is usually very slow, even when it's not crowded. I wish this place were wonderful. As is, it's the best in the immediate neighborhood, but that's not saying much. The atmosphere (day and night) is dark and a bit depressing - purple/red walls don't help. Several tables are in shadow. The acoustics are poor - nothing "cozy" about it, nothing to absorb sounds. The food is uneven - and sometimes (as with pasta specials) the portions are tiny, which makes it quite overpriced. A chopped salad and chicken sandwich w/cole slaw, delivered, were $16.00. Their best and most consistently-good dish is the fried chicken and mashed potatoes - always available for takeout, but not always for eating in. Maybe some competition would make Next Door better.

Used to be a great 'hood joint but its gone through so many reincarnations over the last year it doesnt know what kind of restaurant it wants to be. Chicken wings with fajitas with sushi with pasta? The waiters seem just as confused as the menu. The whole place is asleep at the wheel. Too many strollers in here, too. Not recommended.

If they don't get with the program they won't be any more. Their service is horrible. Waiting over 30 minutes to get served drinks, having wait staff that clearly don't seem to want to be there. The food is good. But it'll be a while til i go there, again.