Round two of Winterlicious! My friend and I went to Harlem Underground (745 Queen Street West) for a Tuesday dinner. We had been here before and my friend was really craving chicken and waffles! You can search up their Winterlicious menu offerings here ($15 for lunch; $25 for dinner).
It wasn’t particularly cold that day (by Toronto winter standards) so we walked from Osgoode station for about 20-30 minutes. The restaurant is located near the Queen Street West and Bathurst intersection, and there are streetcars that run in both directions. The restaurant opens at 4pm from Monday to Wednesday, and we were the first ones there. A lot of the tables were reserved!
01. Appetizer:
CATFISH LAFAYETTE
seasoned deep fried morsels of catfish served with a sweet chili hot sauce
Yummy! It’s probably not hard to please with deep fried anything. I liked how soft and light the catfish was. Both sauces were great, but I preferred the ketchupy-mayo combo to the sweet chili sauce. My friend ordered the cornbread which was sweet and warm.
02. Main:
CAJUN SMOKED SIDE RIBS
served with collared greens & seasoned basmati rice
Having had the Southern Chicken & Waffles before (so good and so decadent), I decided to try something different. The ribs were seasoned nicely, and cooked so tenderly! The meat came off the bones so easily. I could have had a little more rice and greens, but that was more from being overwhelmed with so much meat than being hungry, lol.
Judging from the chicken & waffles that my friend ordered, this place serves their regular-sized dishes for Winterlicious – awesome! As is becoming habit, I had to take a portion of this dish with me to go.
03. Dessert:
MANGO CREAM TART
tart, tropical and tasty
I love mango! I was surprised to see this on the menu and kind of unsure how it would turn out, but ended up being very happy with it. It’s fairly small – a perfect size to cap such a rich and heavy meal. My friend ordered the plantains (her first time trying them!) and had to take her leftovers home.
Once again, I enjoyed eating at Harlem Underground. There’s a divey kind of atmosphere to the place, but not in a negative way. The service isn’t perfect, but thankfully we didn’t encounter any of the terribleness that other reviewers have. It’s not a place I would frequent, especially given the prices in their regular menu, but definitely a good place to go if you’re seeking to satisfy a chicken & waffles craving~
Great review! I want to try the Chicken and Waffles so badly! The Mango tart looks good! Glad you had a great Winterlicious experience there overall.
I’m sure Hellen will have a craving for it again and you’ll come with us! Lol. The chicken and waffles dish is about three whole meals in itself – so filling!