Madiba Restaurant

The giant prawns were incredible. The service was friendly and helpful, since the menu was new to me. Beautiful decor, casual outdoor dining, a jewel in my neighborhood. Great place to bring out-of-towners.

Pros: Delicious and unusual dishes

Cons: None that I can think of

Wow, what a unique experience Madiba was. I love this place. I went on a friday night, first there happy hour was the most festive i've ever experienced. Live music and it was a lot of fun. The service was great and the drinks were phenominal. The food was the most amazing experience. The restaurant itself was very natural and had a rustic feel to it. I love that I'm in Brooklyn and can actually venture out for a true South African experience. I will definitely recommend this place to my friends and also for those people wanting to leave the hustle and bustle of the city. this was truly a unique place to have a friday night dinner.

Pros: Fun atmostphere, great food

Cons: none

Do not waste your time or money. Terrible service for just OK food. Waited an hour for dishes that never arrived. Atmosphere is the only thing it has going for it at this point.

Cons: service, wait

Over priced- four little somosas for $10. Small piece of fried fish with a lot of french fries for $14. Rice with a piece of broccli and some lentils for $14. weak drinks. Medicore food. Absolutely a waste of money and a waste of what could be an enjoyable night out.

Pros: d

Service was terrible. 45 mins wait WITH a reservation. Food took over an hour to arrive. Pity, the place looked like it would be a great experience. Never again.

Cons: LONG wait

Perfect food. Perfect service. Perfect time waiting with great bartender in front room. Perfect ambiance. Perfect lighting. Percect menu. Perfect wine selection. Perfect all around. Nuff said.

You walk into a hopping bar scene with all of the most beautiful people you almost want to leave! But they smile, and say hello, and greet you warmly. Move on in and try some crazy food, try it all! The wine selection is varied, and their homemade drinks are...umm....interesting. I love this joint!

Pros: gorgeous, great staff, drunken singing

Cons: a tad unorganized, don't be in a hurry

Warning #1 - We should have known it would be bad when a table walked out because the food took too long. We went on a Saturday at 6:30pm. We were not seated until 7:30pm. Understandable, it was a busy Saturday night, but no one came to our table for at least 20 minutes, not even with water. We ordered food for our 3 year old and waited 20 minutes for that even though we asked to have the french fries brought out as soon as possible.

Warning #2 - After we had received our appetizers and the plates had been cleared, which took about 50 minutes, we were told that one of the dishes we had ordered had sold out. Again , we waited.

Warning #3- At some point the waitress asked us how we were doing. We were fine although we had no food to comment on so we all just stared at each other for a while. Actually, we were hungry. There were three of us sharing a bowl of rice that we had ordered for our kid. The waitress seemed surprised that no one had brought out any food. We were surprised too, but more so at the fact that she had no idea what was going on.

Warning #4 - I had to get up and go to the bar to get the beer that my brother in-law had ordered. It took her about 30 minutes, it took me 2.

My advice - don't go unless you have several hours to waste staring at other people who are hungry and waiting for their food or unless you have gift certificates, which we did. Needless to say, WE WILL NEVER GO BACK!

Oh, and just because the owner is really nice does not make up for the fact that it took us 3 hours to eat a two course meal.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Service, long waits, mediocre food

The ambiance is amazing and the setting is unique. You walk in to a dimly lit restaurant and look around at the tables, you feel at home. The entertainment is great. I thought the music I was hearing by the bar was music the restaurant was playing.

DRINKS
- I had to wait about 20 minutes for it.
+ Tasty I had one called Cane Cachacha or something like that. There were fruit in it: a slice of mango, 2 strawberries, and a slice of kiwi.

FOOD
-Waited about 35 minutes for it.
+Gets your taste buds going. I had fish and fries with calamari. I needed no ketchup or tarter sauce. Everything was seasoned well. The fish tasted buttery and salty but not too salty. It was just right. The calamari were crunchy, not too soft and gummy like some places. The fries were cooked well.

SEATING
**Make sure you have reservations especially on special holidays.
-The table I got because I didn't make a reservation, was right by the entrance. It was a cold night and the curtains over the door served us no purpose.
The tables to the right of the restaurant are at your knees!

THE BILL
-We waited about 20 minutes for our bill
+The waiters and host are very hospitable and polite

Although Madiba is understaffed, their food is good and so are the amenities. The place is small and can probably only accommodate but so many workers. I'm sure it would cut the wait time for food and even getting your bill when you're done.

the food is quite good although i can't say authentic, the drinks generous, the staff is friendly. it is overpriced and can be very crowded. but what really upsets me, is that despite the use of mandela's name, the management clearly isn't even trying to exude the progressive political values of this great man. they tolerate harassement of customers by those who have clearly consumed too much alcohol (i have heard this complaint from quite a few women). women beware-stick to irish bars if you want to drink-they don't tolerate open harassement of women

I went to Madiba last night for Brooklyn Restaurant week. I was scared away by the reviews but tried it on a recommendation. I loved it! I don't know what the rest of you are talking about. DELICIOUS food, great decor, amazing artwork, incredibly friendly and efficient waitstaff, and cute friendly bartender Dennis.

I was in South Africa just two months ago and I did not find it inauthentic. I had the veggie samosas and bobotjie, and the malva pudding for desert. They are all mouthwatering, and I'm the biggest foodie ever. The music and the vibe were great. It's dark and romantic with huge windows and has an eclectic crowd. We were seated right away and had some great SA savannah and krait beers, yum!

Interesting stuff- Madiba is Nelson Mandela's nickname. They have internet workstations, randomly.

Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Pros: delicious food, rare find

Cons: brooklyn is the other planet

My girlfriend and always pass by this place and notice music and crowds of people almost every night. We decide to go in for dinner (9/6) and try it out. We order a Caipirinha and a glass of red wine (Nederburg Pinotage). The overpriced Caipirinha was terrible. We ordered a salad, oxtail and a fish dish (I forgot the name, but it was big fish, head chopped off). The salad and the oxtail were impressive! For dessert we had Jenny's Malva pudding. It was a nice way to top it off. We will return, but will stay away from the expensive drinks.

Pros: oxtail, salads, music

Cons: bread is stale, chairs uncomfortable, drinks are overpriced

I've lived in the neighborhood for 7 years and I have always had a good time at Madiba. The service is really friendly - much more so than alot of other places in the area. The food is delicious and definitely different then everything else on the DeKalb strip. The only downside is that it's totally overpriced. $9 for a whiskey? You can get the same thing almost anywhere else for $6-8. I guess you're paying for the atmosphere but it's a bit much. Still, I go back every so often and always feel welcome.

Pros: Friendly service, unique and delicious menu

Cons: Overpriced

Being a South African I was excited to check out New York only South African restaurant. I should not have bothered, what a disappointment. You walk into an overcrowded space decorated in tourist kitsch which has the feel of a plastic, cheaply produced high school play.

The bartender took about 10 minutes polishing glasses and trying to establish a "cool" South African attitude before he deigned to look in our direction. Of course there were no South African beers you could actually order - the multitude South African beer bottles behind the bar was there for decoration only. We ordered a Mojito and a Capirinha. The Mojito took 5 minutes. Then he proceded to make Sangria, serve wine etc. while ignoring us for another 10 minutes. I finally cancelled the order and was charged $16 for a very bland Mojito.

Spare yourself and the one you love.

Pros: absolutely nothing

Cons: terrible service, plastic atmosphere, not authentic at all

Excelent place! I recomend to everybody that want to have a great night!

i think this place is authentic because the wait staff reminded me of the one person I sort of know from south africa. as well as charlize theron. nice but almost cynical, a bit too aware of themselves as south africans selling their identity as south africans and capitalizing on interest in south africa. i had some thing with shrimp and it was spicy, good. there was also some pretty cool stuff around with the decor. and free jest magazine by the bathrooms.

We recently visited Madiba for lunch, and our waitress was sweet but ineffective. It took us forever just to get menus, drinks had to be begged for to arrive, and food was WAY overpriced, but tasty. Madiba has an open kitchen layout, which means the dishwashing machine is never to far from where you are sitting. The waitress had the gall to ask us to close out our check when she brought our food so she could go home rather than wait for us to finish (hey babe we waited for YOU, you can wait for US). The authentic South African side dishes were great, and we enjoyed trying something new. But I don't think we will go back.

Pros: Yummy, Unusual

Cons: , Way overpriced

We had a reservation for 8:30PM for 4. After waiting for an hour, the owner offered us a free round of drinks, but forgot to actually deliver them. Our entrees were served to us at 11:00PM.

This was my second time at this restuarant, and both times were disappointing. I really want to like this place, but my advice is "stay away until they get their act together... if ever."

Pros: nice, friendly place

Cons: , slow kitchen

I've been there twice now and each time the food and atmosphere have been delightful. Although, the first time was probably the better of the two times, because the special of the day was an whole whiting the size of the plate doused in amazing flavors. I would also highly recommend the bread pudding for dessert. Although, the prices may be considered to be on the steep end--especially in the neighborhood--it is a nice place for a quiet, homestyle dinner on a Sunday night.

Pros: nice atmosphere, nonstandard dishes

Cons: a bit expensive

as the south africans would say. The space itself is great: the shebeen vibe and cocktails are very creative and enjoyable and convey a sense of "theater", but drinks are drastically overpriced for Ft. Greene. Also, the food is essentially peasant food-style dishes of the various ethnicities of SA, but is priced like dinner at Pastis. The food is just okay and I suppose novel, but it's basically good street cart food. For these prices it's just absurd. Also, I've found the staff to be incompetent on many occasions, and worse, totally aloof and unapolagetic for the multitude of screw ups one encounters there. If they lowered the prices by 25% and got some decent help, It'd be a fair value and a fun experience, instead you leave feeling ripped off.

Pros: atmosphere, cocktails

Cons: rude service, overpriced, mediocre food

When we first moved into the neighborhood several years ago, Madiba was better priced and more relaxed.

Now, you go in there and on top of a $75 dinner for two (including drinks and tip), they make you pay $5 per person for the music. Isn't my $75 enough? I think its in really poor taste to charge a cover for the music when you are going there to have a nice dinner and spend significant money - come on - this is Brooklyn!

I have to say Mojitos and other fun drinks are the best around.

Pros: Great Location, Good atmosphere, Great Drinks

Cons: Overpriced, Cover for music, slow service

Madiba has a original decor, if a bit flamboyant, and a nice vibe about it. It has all the good things about dining out in Brooklyn (no fuss, no red rope policy, seating space always available, a neighborhood feeling about it) but at a Manhattan price: dinner for two comes around $50 each. Ouch! The cocktail drinks the best the place has to offer: caipirinhas, caipiroskas, and mojitos, served in large glass jars with friut bits. Try the Durban samoosas, avoid the ostrich carpaccio. Most main courses are pretty spicy, so be prepared! Try the bobotie, or the prawns, and the bunny chow.
The service was unexplicably slow, considering that the place was almost empty. Also, they had a singer that night, which made conversation over dinner basically impossible.
Will I come back again? Probably: more to enjoy a nice caipirinha outdoor in the Summer than for the food, though.

Pros: drinks

Cons: expensive, noisy

Madiba is one place I make sure to take visitors. The decor is unusual and ecclectic, the food is generously proportioned and arrives quickly. The cocktail are strong and large (although a bit expensive). And, the staff is FANTASTIC - friendly and for the most part, from the neighborhood!

In some ways Madibaechoes some of the woes of other neighborhood restaurants in that the service can be a bit too relaxed at times but the energy and liveliness more than make up for it plus a warm smile goes a long way with me! It's a great place to go with a group of friends whether you stop in for an after-work cocktail (the rum punch is divine) or a full meal. The menu is eclectic with something for just about everyone. I'd also recommend a visit on Mondays for Carribean Night when the menu selections have an island twist to them and live bands set up inside. All in all I'd say that if you're in a hurry for a quick and efficient meal you might be happier elsewhere but if you enjoy a leisure meal in a very friendly atmosphere then you'll probably be hooked.

Pros: very welcoming, interesting menu

Cons: can be crowded, relaxed service

I'm a bit mysitfied by all the squabbling below. There's nothing about Madiba to get so excited about. Madiba is a perfectly adequate, middling restaurant in a nice neighborhood with a decent ambience and a loyal clientele. I can't vouch for whether this place represents the authentic tastes of home longed for by transplanted ex-pats, but the food I had was fine, if somewhat over-priced. You can do better for less money at various places up the block (notably Liquors and Lou-Lou) but if the exoticism appeals to you, you'll probably enjoy yourself. That said, this ought not be a destination restaurant. If you're in the neighborhood (or really bored on a Friday night) fine, but otherwise, try something that will actually be worth the trip.
I did think it quaint that the waitress referred to my date as 'Mama.'

Pros: ambient

Cons: over-priced, bland, poor service

I too am a native South African and have to say that this food is nothing like the real thing. The dishes were bland, badly prepared and does not remotely taste like my mother's cooking. I have eaten almost every dish on that menu back in South Africa and Madibas is really not representative of SA food. These are amateur chefs, cashing in on the President's fame... It's a lekker jol though.