Manna's Soul Food & Salad Bar
2331 Frederick Douglas Blvd
New York, NY 10027
(212) 749-9084

By Michael Crump

On the busy strip of the revived 125th Street, a rare bargain can be found. A family of four can eat for under $20.00. So you say, “How is that a bargain?" Granted, there are burger joints, pizzerias, sandwich shops all over 125th Street, but none can match the value of the buffet at Manna’s Restaurant.

For those of you who have had the fortune of enjoying a Las Vegas buffet, you will be pleased that Manna’s is a local alternative. Imagine 50 feet of hot and cold selections assembled on two tables. If your palate is Asian, American comfort, southern, West Indian, Spanish, and Italian or if you are health conscious, there is something here for you. To list all of the selections would be an atrocity, but I will guarantee well over 100 choices.

I am not a buffet person, but I was amazed to see the quality of the presentation and freshness of the buffet. There were no half scraped pans, food with the “yesterday’s” yellow film. The temperature was awesome with hot food and cold salad items. The buffet is segregated not by ethnicity of food, but by hot and cold selections at a bargain of $4.49 per pound. You have the choice of eating in the newly renovated second floor with astounding views of 125th Street. The table service is limited to complimentary water refills. I was much more impressed with the homemade iced tea and lemonade.

The good thing about buffets is that you have the option to “pick”. I had fried chicken, black eyed peas, candied yams, collard greens, stuffing and ox tails. My boss was a little more conservative, selecting pineapple roasted ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, cabbage, and macaroni and cheese. I also got a small container of fresh fruit, beets, salad and deviled eggs. When my boss left and returned, I was amazed at the large chunk of homemade cake and sweet potato pie he had. I assumed one was for me, but I had to get my own. I went for the hot peach cobbler.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Manna’s a ten in quality, service, cleanliness and variety. It is possible to eat there daily and never get bored. The consistent selections are often modified based on the time of the year. Just to give you an idea of what variety is, try the meat loaf with gravy, crab cakes, lasagna, curried chicken, roast pork, chitterlings, sesame chicken, stir flied vegetables with chicken, fried fish, salmon steaks, pasta salad, crab salad, seafood salad, Caesar’s salad, beef stew, melon salad, rice and peas, potato salad or the turkey wings. If that is too heavy, try the soup of the day.

Fresh corn bread rounds out the meal selections. That is just to wet your beak. Top it off with the coconut cake, chocolate cake, sweet potato pie or the banana pudding. Now here is the trick, eat all of those things and still manage to have money to return the next day.

Leave the dishes alone, pack up the kids and make it over to 125th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard. You will be pleased with your decision. I must go now. I am seeing a movie at Magic Johnson’s theater. I am hitting the buffet on my way over. See you there! Eat some now and take some home. The dining room seats a cramped 70.

THUMBS WAY UP FOR MANNA'S!

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