Omar’s Kitchen and Rum Bar
thrives despite COVID restrictions
By Nelson A. King
Jamaican Omar Walters says
his business, Omar’s Kitchen
and Rum Bar, is a “nouveau
Caribbean restaurant in the
heart of the Lower East Side,
where the food scene is blooming.”
Walters, who is also a chef
and carries the name Chef
Omar, said that he takes dishes
of his native Jamaica and delivers
them “with a New York
twist.”
“Omar’s cuisine boosts in
flavor, color and warmth,” the
website says. “Let’s not forget
about the design that will take
you right back to your last
vacation in the islands.
“And every time you feel nostalgic,
you can just visit Omar’s
and sip on a coconut daiquiri,”
it adds.
WABC’s Lauren Glassberg,
who recently visited the restaurant,
wrote on Friday that “At
Omar’s Kitchen and Rum Bar,
on Clinton Street, in the Lower
East Side, you’ll feel transported
by both the setting and the
food.”
“We were always so focused
on the inside; the food, the
dishes, the drinks, and, now,
it’s more about how creative
outside and then everything
else follows,” Walters told her,
stating that his restaurant had
its best week ever just before
New York City went on pause.
But, when the virus hit, he
closed up shop, according to
Glassberg.
Congressman
Gregory W. Meeks
5th Congressional District of New York
@GregMeeksNYC @GregMeeksNYC @GregMeeksNYC
Caribbean L 30 ife, Sept. 4-10, 2020
Eventually, she said he
returned to the kitchen to cook
meals for first responders.
“My sister helped me do the
decor for outside,” Glassberg
quoted Walters as saying. “We
started with four plants and,
every day, we added another
plant and another plant.
“The whole ambiance
screams carnival and tropics,
and it brings you to a really
great space because you don’t
even think there’s a pandemic
going on when you sit around
here,” a customer said.
Glassberg said the Jamaican
and Caribbean-inspired food
has been “a draw from the
beginning.”
She said “there’s the Coco
Bread Lamb Sliders served with
ackee tartar sauce; the Escovitch
Fish, a deep-fried whole
branzino served with pickled
vegetables; the Curry Oxtail
made with coconut curry, butter
beans and spinnas; the
Hibiscus Glazed Lamb, a french
cut lamb chop smothered in
a hibiscus flower glaze; and
Omar’s take on rasta pasta.”
Dining outside Omar’s Kitchen and Rum Bar. Omar’s Kitchen
and Rum Bar
“We do a handmade plantain
gnocchi,” Walters said.
“We just put a flare and spin on
everything.”
Omar’s other business, a
SoHo loft space for private dinners,
hasn’t returned in full
just yet, but his restaurant has
“certainly rebounded,” Glassberg
said.
“In March and April, it didn’t
look promising where we were
headed,” Walters said. “So,
it’s good to actually see a full
house. ‘We have a good problem,’
I tell people.”
Omar’s is open for dinner
Thursday through Sunday.
Sometimes, lunch is served
during the week, as well.
For additional information,
visit http://www.omarskitchennyc.
com, or call (646) 368-
1392.
Chef Omar preparing for an
event. Omar’s Kitchen and Rum Bar
– Paid for and authorized by Friends for Gregory Meeks –
/www.omarskitchen-nyc.com
/www.omarskitchen-nyc.com
/www.omarskitchen-nyc.com
