Charles Rockhill

Some friends of mine brought me here cause it’s their favorite wine bar in the city. Both bottles of wine, we let the staff select for us and both were perfect. I did prefer the slightly drier sauv blanc. It’s not just wine though, the food is beyond delicious. The chicken sandwich I will dram about until I can have another. It was crazy how good it is. The duck was so surprising, I’m used to duck being tough or chewy and the duck frites here melt in your mouth. Beyond impressive. Don’t forget to start with the deviled eggs (although, two pieces, which is one full egg is kinda disappointing) and end with dessert. Malta pudding for the win. I immediately started making a list of people I need to bring to this amazing restaurant. It looks like they have some fun day events sometimes too based on some posters I saw. I’d love to come back for that.

+1

Queeny Qiu

A hidden gem in the UES. This place was highly recommended to me and it did not disappoint. Everything we ordered were delicious and super flavourful. Highly recommend anyone who wants to try South African food and wine. They have a great happy hour and pulsd deal

Nikhil

Went especially for the malva pudding and it did not disappoint. Also, I had a lamb burger, which was pretty good, I'm just not a fan of the blue cheese.

Forum Shah

This is a great local wine bar. We got to try authentic African blends and they were really good. The staff there were very friendly and gave us a lot of information about the different wines and where the regions they’re from. We also got the veggie sliders as a snack and they were delicious. The sauce that it comes with perfectly complemented the potato patty. They also give you some bread with your wine and I really enjoyed the seasoning that it came with. We also got some cheeses and I really liked that there were so many different options to pick from. The seating area is really nice, it’s comfortable for big and small groups. This wine bar really felt like a local spot that welcomes everyone and really fosters a sense of community. Insta: @TheShahLALand

+4

Pablo Barajas

We loved this palace. This was our first time going there, and everything was amazing. The food was very delicious; they served good portions. We tried the sliders, the Gatsby sandwich, and the oxtail. Our waiter, Kenneth, made our experience unforgettable. We can not wait to come back!

Monica Warek

Best vibes! Came for a drink and light dinner. Music is amazing, wine selection is great, I got the salad which came with warm bread (with an amazing spice dish) - all were excellent. Staff was so friendly, especially Rose, who took care of me. Also, love how dog friendly they are!

Amanda Wang

Service is immaculate. Ppl are friendly and the atmosphere is so homey. Flavors were amazing. Love the free warm bread w dip omg so good. Corn! wow, its the best hahahah. The red powder on top just made it more amazing. Duck wing was nicely flavored too my friend loved it, she like duck. Shrimp flavor were almost like seafood boil/cajun, i was a big fan. Lamb burger had too much on it(cherries? And the cheese too much), but my friend enjoyed it but wish it could’ve been slightly adjusted. Dessert (sticky cake) was awesome. Love the custard and the warmth of it. Interesting bathroom but very cute and cozy.

+12

Tim Hewitt

You can’t walk on 3rd avenue without noticing Kaia- it’s always full (both inside and out). They offer a selection of wines sourced exclusively from South Africa, paired with an excellent food service.

ReedH

Nice spot for a bottle of wine and some unique South African dishes. The prawns were were outstanding served with a really nice spicy sauce that also went really well with the bread they served. It is rather noisy but overall was still a nice evening.

Andrea Garcia

We had never tasted this kind of food and we were happily surprised. It was really good. It’s spicy, full of flavour and delicious. The wine selection is also very good. Service was super friendly and they recommended very good dishes. Would love to come back and have another glass of wine. Thanks for everything.

+1

Suzanne Eutsler

As a South African, I was so very excited to go to a South African restaurant in New York City. Unfortunately, the menu didn't have a large variety of typically South African food. The food was good but not fantastic! The South African wine was fantastic! The service was very slow and we had to ask for a server 3 times, the atmosphere was not great, VERY loud, dark and hot - and restrooms were down a STEEP set of stairs so not accessible for wheelchairs. There IS outdoor seating which seemed nice! They also do a Sunday brunch, which I would try next time and I'd get the Bobotie in Vetkoek as that's a famous SA dish. Here's a breakdown so you can make a decision for yourself. I had a garam masala shredded chicken sandwich with French fries (an altered version of “Bunny Chow” .) The flavor was VERY good indeed, however they seriously missed the boat on the French fries (of all things) which were hard as a rock and not the typical thick "slap chips" style but rather thin like McDonalds fries. My husband had a lamb burger which he enjoyed quite a lot. He also REALLY enjoyed the Keermont South African wine (at $25 for a glass!) The dessert was good (expensive) - a slice (like a slice of bread) of chocolate cake with amarula cream and honeycomb crumbles. I expected larger pieces of Crunchies, it was crumbled and could barely taste it. Overall it was good but not a great representation of South African food. I was disappointed. I would love to see Pap and Wors, Vetkoek, Samoosas, etc on the menu. IF I ever go back, I would try the Bobotie and yellow rice with malva pudding for dessert. Since that’s the most famously Saffy thing they serve, I hope it would be good.

+1

Carly Pisarri

The people running this place are very kind. However, I would not go back here. We wanted Sauvignon blanc and they brought us Chardonnays to try. The food was mostly seasoned incorrectly. Heavy on the cinnamon and coriander. We couldn’t finish the dishes and they didn’t seem to ask why or notice. Update June 2024: had prob one of the best espresso martinis of my life 🤌🏽

+6

Definitely don’t go here if you have allergies. I could not have been more clear explaining that I have a dairy ALLERGY and requested all the items I ordered be triple checked. The server told me with confidence that it was all dairy free. I took two bites of my burger and knew something was off and turned out there was cream in it! I called over another server and they tried to help but it was a very disappointing experience. They snatched the burger away before we could even explain that my husband and I were sharing so they should leave it with the cream in and they brought back a plain burger patty over bread. It was overcooked and lacked flavor. I would have never ordered it had I known they would remove the aioli (that was supposed to be dairy free). They should have asked how they could have helped the situation and we would have worked with them. They poured me an extra glass of wine for free but I cannot drink more than 1 glass anyway so it went more than half to waste. They offered a comped dessert but I doubted anything would be dairy free (no milk cream butter etc) so we declined. They should have comped the burger but they charged me for it. Super upsetting experience. The craziest part of the experience was when our original server came back to apologize and said he tried to explain to the staff that I was “lactose intolerant” (!!!!???). I clarified immediately that it’s an ALLERGY but he clearly doesn’t know the difference as he didn’t appreciate the nuance. He shouldn’t work in food service. Also want to note that we ordered ½ doz oysters and they weren’t cleaned well. Lots of shell. Gross. Kaia, do better. To all others, dont waste your precious time and money here.

Boram Kim

Update your hours: as a South African who’s been looking forward to eating here, the most South African thing about this place is the laziness. It’s the second time I’ve come from Brooklyn all the way to the Upper East Side only to find the place closed despite the hours of operation posted here. The SECOND time. I’m sure the food is great but won’t know unless the owner decides to put the actual hours of operation. This place is NOT open at 11am on Sunday as shown (came here 1230pm first time last month and 330pm today).

Sal Somma

Overall one star because I was there last night I heard the restaurant is moving to the 70s on 1st Ave. Huge loss for the neighborhood and probably a big mistake because the 70s is crowded with restaurants and much older people. Unfortunately I will not be going anymore. Great place and I will miss it.