All 219 rated mentions, most helpful first
“In terms of supplements, the Coconut Turnover is wonderful while the Chuleta was alright (needed some citrus.) Favorite dishes of the night were the Pepper Shrimp and Goat with everyone else loving the Breadfruit Tostón (curse my cephalopod allergy.)”
H3
“I thought the food was mediocre at best - and that’s before considering the price. Which was, looking back, almost incomprehensible for what we received.”
H3
“the bar snacks/drinks at Kabawa (in the old Ko space) were fantastic and made me super excited for the main dining room. A+ patties, interesting small dishes (a savory whipped smoked fish creme brulee to spread on cassava chips was particularly interesting, along with some of my favorite okra I've had in years), and great rum based cocktails”
H3
“That being said the shrimp dish that everyone raves about and orders we found to be grainy and unpalatable. Ditto for the mushrooms- very basic and the green banana component was a confusing pasty, gummy block. Our cobia was sliiiightly overcooked but it had great flavor (loved the broth) and the goat was delicious.”
H3
“The bread course was the best course, which is unfortunate. The rest was meh and I can’t see the justification in the price.”
H3
“Something about walking in for a 3-course $145 dinner put me in a weird headspace and as great as the goat was, the meal never got me back. The NYT waxed poetic about the tamarind—I thought it was clunky.”
H3
“I had what I would call a subpar meal there.”
H3
“It was really enjoyable! Very fun atmosphere, insanely nice staff, and exciting to have flavors you don’t normally get in fine dining. I’d say the winner was my goat entree which was melty, properly spicy, just fantastic, but my husband’s steak was the only slightly boring thing we had.”
H3
“We had an egg dish that was delightful, but their Chuleta Can Can was like 65% fat. I dunno how anyone could eat the whole thing without trimming off like half of the fat. It made me feel a bit nauseous.”
H3
“Kabawa has incredible service, a fantastic cocktail menu, and the dishes have sophistication and creativity (even the patties and coco bread at their bar), as well as some more unusual ingredients, that you won’t find at a hole in the wall.”
H3
“But my god, the duck sausage is a banger.”
H3
“The dishes are just not inventive, interesting, or flavorsome enough to justify the price. Duck sausage and goat where just nice. Matrimony as dessert was just ridiculous, no attempt to elevate it whatsoever.”
H3
“Kabawa, which I was lucky enough to try earlier this week, has a extensive drink menu, actual seats for people to sit on, a restroom with lights tucked away in a corner, and most importantly, genuinely incredible food.”
H2
“- Kabawa - 7/10 Located in Momofuku Ko’s old space is the only restaurant I felt a little lukewarm about this week. While well-seasoned, their Chuleta Can Can for 2 was simply way too fatty.”
H2
“The pepper shrimp and goat were the highlights. I do agree with the sentiment from this sub that this place is slightly overpriced but I still enjoyed my meal here.”
H2
“It was okay for me - some of the dishes were a miss and some underseasoned IMO. It was good but overhyped to be “number 1”.”
H2
“It was a good meal (and they really stuffed us… so it’s great for people who complain that fine dining has small portions) but when spending that amount of money there are dozens of New York restaurants I’d prefer going to.”
H2
“Semma and Kabawa both have incredible goat dishes, but are obviously on the more expensive side.”
H2
“I enjoyed the food at Kabawa, esp the goat.”
H2
“Kabawa is good but no fuckin way it’s better than Jungsik lmao”
H2
“Both are overrated.”
H2
“I had it earlier this year and it was one of my favorite meals I've had in a very long time. The goat shoulder might be an all time dish for me.”
H2
“The goat is the G.O.A.T.”
H2
“damn- i love kabawa. the bread service is amazing, the wine list is phenomenal, and the chef is one of the best dudes cooking in nyc right now.”
H2
“that jerk sausage was sublime and i'll never forget it.”
H2
“Been twice, great food and fun atmosphere.”
H2
“Kabawa is the most flavorful imo and the quantity of food is unbelievable (a lot). Their dessert was just named top 3 by NYT or something like that”
H2
“Highlights for me were the roti, rice, goat, sips from the cellar, and our warm and engaging server.”
H2
“the goat curry at Kabawa is one of the best dishes in the city right now, and one of the perfectly cooked pieces of goat I've ever had.”
H2
“Kabawa has some good dishes, but I find they are underseasoned in some places for me personally.”
H2
“Kabawa was great, but crazy expensive.”
H2
“Yeah I thought Kabawa was thoroughly mid... dessert was like some chopped fruit and cream... other dishes ranged from bland to fine.”
H2
“Strong disagree - that dish is so special!”
H2
“It’s honestly just okay. The cancan is great. I’ve gone 3 times because other people wanted to go when visiting. Drinks are pretty good tho”
H2
“I will say as someone's who ate goat my entire life, that it changed how i viewed the meat. It's one of the truly spectacular dishes in New York right now.”
H2
“I went in December and really liked it, good size portions and interesting flavors. Nothing life-changing but everything was at least solid and several things were great.”
H2
“Kabawa was so mid. And that’s before you factor in the price. Get real.”
H2
“It definitely is pricey but it's an incredible dinner.”
H2
“The Chuleta Can Can was my favorite thing I ate this year.”
H2
“Went with no expectations and was not incredibly impressed, especially for the price. Subsequent hype has been bemusing. Red shrimp was first dish I had and really liked it and was feeling optimistic. But nothing else moved me much at all.”
H2
“Loved Kabawa!! Great food, amazing experience and atmosphere.”
H2
“Bringing my brother in a couple weeks to get the chuletas - it was absolutely mesmerizing to watch that prep”
H2
“To me kabawa is better than the other two”
H2
“The goat from Kabawa is also great”
H2
“I did not like Kabawa! I thought it was mostly bland - the side dishes your dont choose were the best part, but the only thing i ordered that i loved was the curried goat/lamb”
H2
“Curry goat at Kabawa.”
H2
“Kabawa's spread was weak”
H2
“Came here to recommend Kabawa! The goat curry patty is 💯”
H2
“Kabawa was slightly worse food, much worse prices, and much better service.”
H2
“All is truly excellent, and service is terrific.”
H2