Lissette Dilworth

Let me start by saying the food is delicious. The service is phenomenonal. It is like a Sunday meal after church, lets go to grandmas house. If that's how you want to feel, go to this place with an empty stomach and the rum punch is STRONG AND GOOD! 😂

Tiffany Ari

Found this spot on TikTok and Google while searching for good soul food in NYC, and it did not disappoint. My friend and I came for dinner and were greeted right away—staff was attentive, warm, and welcoming. Our waitress Jenn was amazing, walked us through the menu, gave great recommendations, and went above and beyond. The restaurant feels cozy and homey, like your aunt or grandma’s house. We ordered rum punch, soul fries with catfish, smothered turkey wings, collard greens, a crispy chicken sandwich, and banana pudding—everything was 10/10. The complimentary cornbread sampler was a great touch. Loved the intimate, uncrowded vibe and even getting to write on the walls. This is officially our new dinner spot—definitely coming back next time we’re in the city.

Y Y

Jennifer was great. We ordered everything to try as we from Singapore. She packed balance food for us to bring back as we over ordered. Great sauce for the OXTAIL. Took 2 hrs to travel to and fro fr NYC. Worth it.

Tonia McDonald

It was my husband’s birthday and we stayed local to celebrate. I’m so happy we did. Shaw-Nae’s House came through in making our dinner date delightful!!! Service, Food, Music, ALL ON POINT!!! Thank you to our server Jennifer, pleasant and attentive from the time we sat down. And especially Shaw- Nae for her hospitality and personal touch in greeting us, taking pics, and birthday wishes with a delicious Red Velvet slice to celebrate hubby!! We’ll definitely be back!!

Nokuthula Newcombe

We visited Shaw-nae’s house as part of our trip to NYC earlier this year (July) and it was one of the highlights of our trip!! Shaw nae immediately welcomed us at the door and all of the team made our anniversary meal so special. The food was some of the best we’ve ever had - true soul food in a cosy, homely restaurant - everything we had was 10/10 no notes! The staff took such incredible care of us and were so kind and attentive throughout. A must visit place if you’re visiting NYC and super easy to get to from Manhattan via the Staten Island Ferry. Thank you so much Shaw-Nae and the team - see you next time! Xx

+1

Gail M. Rodney

The restaurant doesn’t look particularly warm and inviting from the outside, but once you pass through that threshold, you immediately feel like you’re stepping into a family member’s living room, decorated with floor-to-ceiling drapes, pictures, books, and news clippings celebrating past and present achievements. Warm greetings from the staff follow next. Good vibes all around. I almost took my shoes off because we don’t wear shoes in the house, but then I remembered I was at a restaurant. The waiting area, affectionately called the living room, features deep, squishy couches, stacked books, and warm white pendant lighting overhead. It also doubles as seating for large parties. It reminded me of your favorite auntie’s house because only the favorite auntie would allow you to sit in the living room and make an exception to eat there, too. Once seated, we were poured some high-quality NYC tap water—seriously, NYC has amazing tap water, IYKYK—and served six perfectly squared pieces of cornbread: plain, blueberry, and one with strawberry jam sandwiched in between. Just as I was debating whether to choose the blueberry or strawberry cornbread, a server brought out sweet potato cornbread. Pure brilliance! Warm, gooey, chewy, chunky, sweet, and downright delicious. It felt like a crime to be eating something so decadent. If that was the opening act, I knew the headliner would bring the house down, and thankfully, we had front row seats. Jennifer, our server, had main character energy. Her big, bubbly personality was perfectly balanced with professionalism. We now refer to her as Cousin Jen, though she doesn’t know we’re play cousins yet. Every dish was cooked to perfection—nothing over or underdone, no rubbery or dry textures. For appetizers, we had fried catfish and fried chicken. The catfish was well-seasoned with a flaky, tender texture. The fried chicken was the perfect color brown, crunchy, and crispy. We had mango habanero sauce on half and plain on the other. The plain was my favorite because the chicken truly doesn’t need anything else. For the mains, we ordered fried whiting and smothered turkey wings. The sides were mac and cheese, collard greens, and string beans. Sadly, no potato salad. It’s listed on the menu as “Potato Salad (Sometimes).” If you prefer a looser, runnier cheese sauce, this mac and cheese might not be for you. I love a more solid, macaroni pie-style mac. This mac and cheese had an extra sharp cheddar, rich umami flavor. I was fortunate enough to get a corner piece with those crispy cheese edges. The string beans were peppery, garlicky, and sauteed with onions. They were a little softer than I like, but I’ve been told my string beans taste like a pile of sticks because I cook them lightly. The whiting was seasoned well and fried perfectly. You can tell the oil is changed frequently because the food isn’t greasy or rancid smelling. As for the turkey wings, I’ve tried smothered turkey wings three times in my life now. While they were cooked well and fell right off the bone, they didn’t quite do it for me. Part of the issue is that I don’t love the look or texture of turkey wings, so I start from a negative. I think I’d enjoy them more if they were fried hard and then smothered. Overall, the presentation, portions, flavor, and price point earn a solid 10 out of 10. Taste is subjective, of course. The food was a bit salty for me, but that’s a personal preference. I grew up in a house where salt was used lightly, so take my comments with a grain of salt. We met the owner and chef, a warm and passionate woman who walks the floor engaging with customers and staff alike, sharing stories, taking pictures, and handing out hugs and kisses. She’s the reason this place feels so familiar. While you might not be able to bring your “spinnanight bag,” you can certainly make a plate to enjoy later. We definitely plan to return.

+3

Grace S

Shaw-nae’s house is heaven on earth. My home in Staten Island. This place should have a Michelin Star, it is the best food and service I have ever experienced. This is my favorite dining experience ever and I want to spend every day at Shaw-nae’s house. Also please get the wings and fries with catfish.

Karen Z

Let me first start by saying one word….AMAZING!!! Amazing food, amazing staff and amazing chef/owner! We felt welcome from the moment we walked in. Jennifer was our waitress and she was nothing but kind. The food was out of this world. We loved the soul fries and sugar daddy wings as our starters. We also got the peach sangria pitcher. For our entrees we got the jerk chicken and oxtail. Shaw Naé came out and greeted all her guests. It was worth the hour drive to get there. Thank you Shaw Naé and staff for a wonderful dining experience.

A charter

The service was impeccable. the food was fabulous. the chef and owner Shawnee came out to greet all of her guests gave us a kiss spoke to us in detail it felt so good. I would definitely go back. me and my family had a wonderful time. The wait staff worked so well together. Our waitress was Jennifer. The chicken wings were the bomb. Sweet Thai chili, Buffalo and sugar daddy!!

+2

Kai

My boyfriend and I visited last night and had an incredible experience! I’m from Australia and my boyfriend is from Staten Island and we’ve both never had real soul food before so we were so excited. The food blew us away, From the complimentary corn bread (strawberry being our favourite) and the complimentary sweet potato corn bread dessert (MUST TRY) every single thing was incredible. We ordered the soul fries with catfish bites to start which was perfect. My boyfriend ordered the ribs which he loved & I ordered the wings with mac & cheese and sweet potatoes. The sugar daddy sauce blew me away, Our server Jennifer described it was chicken and waffles but in wing form and she was SPOT on! The sides were my absolute favourite part of the dinner. Perfect mac and perfect sweet potato! Drinks were just as good and I took a slice of carrot cake home which was delicious as well. Can’t fault anything from our whole experience, The only thing we were disappointed by was the fact we didn’t get to speak to Shaw-nae herself but I could feel her love and passion through the food! Can’t wait to come back as soon as we can!

Natassia C.

Went here for my Birthday dinner and it was hands-down the BEST restaurant experience I've had in NYC. (And I'm from here, so I've been to plenty of restaurants) Not only was the food DELICIOUS (Southern style, home cooking), but it was also reasonably priced. The biggest strength of Shaw-nae's House, however, is their service and hospitality. The waiting staff was always on-beat, attentive, and friendly. Shaw-nae even came out and spoke to us personally! She treated everyone like family (and even gave us kisses on the cheek 💋) *with consent ofc Will definitely come back again!

Garrick Yu

Great food and even better people. We felt incredibly welcomed by the team and by Chef Dixon who we had a chance to have a meaningful and heartfelt conversation with. Despite some unforeseen challenges they had with the early prep that day, almost all the food we ordered was delicious. The highlight were the chicken wings and catfish tenders. Oh, and the complementary array of corn bread. A wonderful way to cap off a day in Staten Island - happy, satiated, and plenty of additional takeout for the days ahead. In a way, I'm almost glad that the oxtail and smothered turkey weren't available - we're already planning our next visit. Devious!

Valerie W.

I traveled with a friend from Boston to visit Shaw-nae’s house. It was a welcoming and intimate environment with lots of smiling faces. The restaurant radiated home feel, and it appeared visitors were at home. A wonderful experience plus the food! From the wings to the sweet potato cornbread, it was so filling! As an added bonus Shaw-nae was sweet and shining nature meet. Thank you!

Tatiana M.

From the moment you step into Shawnae’s House you feel at home, literally. I felt as if I were having dinner in my grandmother’s living room. The staff was attentive and welcoming, Jennifer our server was amazing. We even met the owner Shawnae who greeted us, gave us a warm welcome/hug and chatted with us for a few minutes. The food was delicious, seasoned well and full of flavor. The sugar daddy wings are a must try and the many cornbread flavors were all so good. My family and I had a great time here and would definitely recommend Shawnae’s House for some real good soul food!

+1