Mini-Review: MoBay
After the play "The Winter View," a friend and I decided to have a bite to eat and a cocktail before calling it a night. We knew that we were a little underdressed for the Harlem Grill so we headed over to The Den. After seeing the gathering of people waiting for tables outside The Den we continued walking down Fifth Avenue to 125th Street. We would try either MoBay or Bayou (more about Bayou in the next post) as a last chance effort to cop a cocktail and appetizer.
As it turned out, the wait wasn’t too long at MoBay so we waited until seats at the bar became available and ordered our cocktails. My friend and I decided to have appetizers instead of entrees so we stayed at the bar which was lively and energetic. The band played a long R&B set and people seemed to be enjoying themselves on the warm pre-summer night.
I ordered their special rum punch and my friend ordered a "Change of Attitude" cocktail. Both of us enjoyed our selections. The bar has seating on both sides so it made it easy for us to converse with other patrons. We compared food items and everyone around us enjoyed what they had ordered.
A young lady sitting across from us ordered jerk chicken wings that were a bit too spicy for her palate, but she said they were very good and ate them all in spite of her scorched taste buds. Another young lady ordered cod fish cakes and her friend the catfish strips. My friend and I ordered crab cakes. The wait was reasonable and the crab cakes were quite good. The outside crust was perfectly browned and crunchy while the inside was full of tasty, well-seasoned crab meat.
Sitting next to us was an Aussie turned Harlemite jazz musician who was listening in on the set of a fellow musician. The vibe was loose, light and less pretentious than expected. I still felt a little underdressed but soon forgot about it amid the conversation and good libations.
Would I go back? The answer is a resounding yes! I found MoBay to be a nice hang out spot great for listening to live music and enjoying well mixed (though pricey) cocktails before or after another event. How would I rate my first visit to MoBay? I give them three stars out of four for their service, food and ambiance. How was your experience at MoBay?
Related: Bar Buzz :: Menu :: JC and the Jazz Hoppers
- General, 125th Street, Eat in, Lounges, Notes from the Editor, Reviews | Time: 1:51 pm (UTC+8)
My wife and I went a couple of weeks ago for brunch. There was a full menu so we ordered off that, my wife had oxtail & I had the ribs…both were excellent and the sides wonderful. Drinks a little pricey as you said but overall a good experience and we will be back.
Comment by Paul — June 29, 2006 @ 2:34 pm
i lived on 126th and madison so MoBay was a regular favorite stop for me and my honey. there is always some great music set taking place.
Comment by jaye — June 30, 2006 @ 10:27 am
It is a great place to eat! I don’t have much experience with the drinks but the food is wonderful! My wife and I went there the day we got married and they had great live music playing.
Comment by reef — July 2, 2006 @ 2:00 pm
Me and my family went there one night without a reservation and they got us a table very quickly and took very good care of us. Service was quite good and the food was excellent.
Comment by John — July 3, 2006 @ 7:55 am
ive heard all good things abt mobay. cant wait to get there!
Comment by msplacedambition — July 8, 2006 @ 10:45 pm