New restaurant on Flatbush: Mango Seed

A new sit-down Jamaican restaurant has opened up in the neighborhood, so Charles and I tried it out. Mango Seed is at 757 Flatbush, just south of Woodruff, on the same block as Zen Vegetarian. Our kid was in a crabby mood, so we got takeout: a large order of oxtail with veggie rice and a side of baked mac & cheese.

Everything was tasty. The oxtail gravy was rich and the meat fell of the bone. The rice was excellent — more vegetables than I expected and the saffron came through. It wasn't mindblowing but it is definitely good enough to encourage another visit to check out more of the menu.

The atmosphere? Eh. The wood floors and simple cafe tables are a nice touch, but the lighting was harsh — like being in a bar after closing time, with the lights on. The place has several overhead lights but when I was there only three were on. The place would look a lot more comfy if they used all the lights but had them on a dimmer,  and placed candles on tables. Also, I thought the music was way too loud for a sit-down restaurant.

Prices are reasonable and, since they don't have a liquor license yet, it's BYOB.

Facebookers who want to know more can check out the Mango Seed fan page. (The photo above was taken from there.) The menu is below.

Comments

[babs]

According to their Facebook page, they've been open since March.

[carrie]

Yeah, I know. The guy working there said they'd been open for about 4 weeks. I've walked by many times since March and this was the first time I had actually seen it open.

[babs]

Ah yes, the eternal comng soon! Glad they've finally gotten their act together.

[Restaraunt hopper]

The guys there are very friendly. Its a nice atmosphere. They have Bruch on Sunday which is very delightful. The muffins are sooooooo tasty.

[Jenn]

Just had dinner there yesterday. I think Monday is their fish day, but they still had quite a bit available.

Everything was delicious! We had samples of the Rasta Pasta, which was rich and creamy and tasty. We started with the chicken soup, which was something like Grandma would make (comfort food!) and the Mango Seed salad which had a spicy sweet dressing, yum. We also got the jerk salmon with garlic spinach and rice and peas, which was great!

Paul, the owner, was there and accommodated our every request and we had some great conversation. His brother and the chef were also super friendly, helpful, and caring.

All in all, I say go and check it!

[noel infante]

excellent

[carlene]

The bar will be up and running within a couple of weeks and we have taken your reviews into consideration concerning the lights. Continue posting and we'll continue checking in!