Cafe Camellia

Came here for dinner on a weekday evening. For all the hype I had been hearing, the restaurant was almost completely empty but the bartender was chatting happily with some other patrons and some nice music was in the background. It was also a Tuesday. We chose to sit at the bar. We ordered:- hush puppies: This tasted pretty good how a generic fried item + mayo dip would taste. Nothing mind blowing. - fried green tomatoes: This was a more interesting item than the other fried pieces. The juicy and tart tomato served as a pleasant contrast to the crispy oily outer layer. It was also served on top of a mayo dip though. - fried ribs: the fried ribs were fall off-the-bone. However I don't remember there being a notable flavor to the ribs. It was served with apple sauce and I didn't quite understand the combo. - rice and beans: This was a flavorful dish to stave off the oils from our otherwise completely deep fried meal. Although it's possible the rice was fried, too. Mentally it gave a feeling of balance. I'm not in a rush to come back here as it was a fairly heavy meal. But they do fried food well and if the mood strikes

This place needs a bit of work. Ambiance was a bit strange. A lot of tables available on a Friday night. The place was definitely understaffed, but they definitely had enough people to service the 20 people there. Super super slowOur server was polite but for the life of my girlfriend and I, we could not hear him/her or honestly comprehend what they were telling us. Honestly, food was OK but everything was definitely a salt bomb. Like so much salt in everything! We ordered (from what I remember):Fried ribs - best thing we hadCatfish - good but SO saltyDeviled eggs - nothing specialBurger - pretty bad. Tasted like something you can make at home and you end up screwing up Fried rice - solid. Wish it came out with our mains...Hope I can come back and it's better at some point

The best meal I had in NOLA on my last trip was not anywhere in the French Quarter or even in up-and-coming areas like Bywater, but rather at an understated restaurant called Mondo in the suburban Lakeview district. My experience at Cafe Camellia reminded me of that meal - while they made the Times 100 list last year, they're located on one of the most dull retail strips in all of Williamsburg, and the decor is nothing to write home about. But they serve bold Gulf Coast flavors, and the butter pecan toddy is a superb drink.The best bites of the evening were the hush puppies, served with a rich remoulade, and the fried maitake, which had a nice balance of acidity. I would probably skip the brussel sprouts next time - they were served in papery fragments that made the dish a bit hard to enjoy.

As per most of my other recent reviews, I went to this Southern spot several months back. We went here after they had unexpectedly gone on the best new restaurants list having barely heard about the restaurant otherwise. The lighting was nice here and the staff was friendly giving good recommendations. They have ample space as well. The spot has a fun creative cocktail menu which are reasonably priced with some drinks having rather humorous names. I went with the A Complex Cocktail For Bitter People for $15 which is their take on a Negroni with roots of ruin gin, saffron liqueur, and vermouth di torino bianco which was excellent. The cocktail had a nice presentation with the vivid off yellow and the flower and it had a nice balance of bitterness, citrus, and herbal flavors. This was excellent though not on the current drink menu. They also had the opposite named A Bitter Cocktail For Complex People which was their take on a Manhattan along with plenty of other choices. As per usual for food, we split a lot of dishes.For smaller plates, my favorite was the Country Fried Baby Back Ribs for $16 with dill & vinegar and jezebel sauce. This sauce in question contains fruit jelly and combined with the dill and vinegar; it was a nice mix of sour and sweet with very tender ribs which weren't too heavily fried. Excellent. Also tasty was the Hush Puppies for $10 with jalapeno, cheddar, popcorn, and remoulade. They were lighter than expected with a little kick and the popcorn was fun for presentation. I think the remoulade should be on this side and not presented on top but I guess it's more artful that way.OK was the Crab Cake for $24 listed as corn flake crusted with whole grain mustard, radish, and herb salad. It was a bit pricey and the flavors didn't pop as much as the other appetizers. The mustard was a fun spin but perhaps don't order this as this is probably one of the only overpriced things on the menu outside of perhaps the steak.We ordered two main dishes; the Roasted Rib Cap and the Crispy 1/2 Chicken which were both fine. The former for $42 with bourbon worcestershire caramel consisted of a very tender steak though maybe a bit small. The sauce indeed had some sweetness but there was a bit of salt on the steak so it was pretty well balanced. The latter dish for $26 with`bama white sauce and herbs was solid. Tender fried chicken with a fun presentation. No real major complaints though I am not exactly sure if it is half a chicken (probably is though.)The restaurant is also known for it's desserts so we got both to share which are both $12. Of the two, my preference was the Key Lime Tart with toasted coconut and candied lime zest. I haven't had many good key lime tarts in the city and this was excellent as it wasn't too sour or sweet. The candied lime zest on top as well as the coconut just added extra pizzazz.I almost found the latter Banana Pudding Tart with caramel and vanilla wafers to be a bit worse. It was well presented as per the other dessert and it was plenty rich but it was perhaps a bit too sweet with the amount of caramel they put on top.This is a fun spin on Southern food which isn't exactly a cuisine you find commonly enhanced. The desserts and appetizers were definitely better than the entrees but the entrees weren't too shabby either. Upper 3/low 4.

This is a great spot! The food was on point. The service was good and they had a great Pilsner on tap!The greens, the fried green tomato, and the chicken were all hittin!Perfect place for a relaxing dinner with friends, work or a date. The key lime pie is a showstopper!

I've been meaning to check out this spot for a while and it did not disappoint! I'm not a huge fan of fish so I was worried that o wouldn't find a dish for me but my word, there is plenty for all! The country fried baby back ribs are insane! The meat falls off the bone! Amazing hushpuppies and really solid mains as well. My date and I ended with one of the best key lime pies I've ever had! Great service! Cozy backyard dining! Worth a visit in Williamsburg!

Mid-week, my friend asked if I wanted to join in on his dinner reservation here. He prefaced it by saying that reservations are very hard to get by so of course I had to say yes!True to most Brooklyn restaurants, I appreciated all the space btw the tables. The three of us split almost the entire menu!We thought everything was very good, but nothing was super amazing that would make us want to come back asap. But given how everything was done well, we could see ourselves coming back if the menu was seasonal.We shared the collard greens, green tomatoes and hush puppies. Of the three apps, we loved the hush puppies the most.For the protein section, we shared the blackened catfish, the steak and the chicken. The chicken was probably the best. Lastly, we shared the two desserts. Similarly to the other foods, the two desserts (which I had to look at my photo to remember what we got) were good but not super memorable. They were the key lime pie and a tart.

Delicious! Definitely lives up to the hype of being on the top 50 restaurants of 2023 from the NY Times.Favorite dish was definitely the country fried baby back ribs. They come with a sweet sauce, which pairs well with the fatty, crispy, melting-off-the-bone ribs. Blackened catfish had a nice depth of smoky flavor that was cut with the freshness of the fish and the creamy sauce. Crispy chicken was boneless (a delight!) and the 'bama sauce was mayonnaise forward. Banana pudding is a must get, very light and the perfect amount of sweetness.

Can't say enough good things about this place. The vibes are so cute. The chef Roger knows his stuff. I didn't have one thing I didn't like. They also grow some of their produce in the backyard. I hope this place blows up. They deserve it.

I was so happy to find this place!! I loveee NOLA cuisine and a friend sent this my way. When we walked in we were greeted by Ashley who took amazing care of us from start to finish. She took the time to walk us through the menu and there were so many great options! Her recommendations really helped us as first timers. I ordered the hush puppies which were amazing as well as the pickled fried green tomatoes. Then for the main course we ordered the catfish. My biggest recommendation: make sure you add the rice and beans as a side it was the highlight of my dish shoutout to Ashley. Such incredible flavor paired with a great ambiance AND incredible service!?! You won't regret coming here!!!