Over the last couple of weekends, I have been exploring different parts of Harlem, taking in the nice weather and heading to parts of the neighborhood that I hadn’t been to in a long time. One of the streets that I have been enjoying walking up from Central Park North (110th St) is Lenox Ave aka Malcom X Boulevard. As I was walking, my hunger started building up and it was then that I stumbled upon a hidden treasure, Edmonds Cafe.

The number 1966 in the top left corner is NOT the address of the restaurant, it is the year that this small family owned and run business opened in Harlem. Sure, when you think of Soul Food in Harlem Sylvia’s and Amy Ruth’s come to mind. Those two places are well known, with a large following amongst locals and tourists alike and most times have lines of people waiting to get in.

However when it comes to the real deal, you know the kind of place that people stop in after church or for a quick family meal, my money, palate and hunger keep on bringing me back to Edmonds. My last two trips to Edmonds were both on Sunday afternoons and it was nice to see most of the people who were coming in greeted by their name with the staff/family who own and run it asking questions about their guest’s families, treating them like they are part of the extended Edmond’s family. READ ON for more…

From a food quality standpoint, the place is immaculately clean and the food always looks (and tastes) hot , fresh and homemade. As you can see from their menu below, the options are not many and the menu is very simple but it is the quality of the food, not the quantity of options that matter.

The interior is nothing fancy, a few tables with hard orange plastic seats and approximately eight or nine counter stools.  Their steam table, where the food is held for service, is your run of the mill industrial restaurant steam table.  It is what is in the steam table that really sets Edmonds apart.  So far I have tried the smothered chicken and turkey meat loaf dinners (separate trips) and the yams, smashed potatoes, mac & cheese and collard greens.  It is because of food like this that the moniker “comfort food” truly applies.

I could go on describing their hot dishes but the real standout of Edmonds for me is their Peach Cobbler. It is one big gooey mess of molten sugar, crusty dough, cooked peaches and lots and lots of love.  If you only go to Edmonds for one thing, try the cobbler first. Just be warned, don’t have any high energy plans afterwords, it is food coma inducing!

Where have you ventured recently?

What cool undiscovered places have you found?

Jon Hochstat

I created the weekly food column for Hidden Track. Currently working on my own food related website, details to come soon...It's a big world, someone's gotta write about it.