Renaissance Harlem

What Renaissance Harlem does

Renaissance Harlem is an upscale French-Senegalese fusion restaurant located at 2245 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard in Harlem, New York City (10030). It is owned and operated by Executive Chef Owners Cisse Elhadji and Cheikh Ali Cisse, first cousins who were born in Senegal, moved to the United States in 1995, and subsequently trained under Michelin-starred chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Daniel Boulud. Renaissance Harlem is the chef-owners' third restaurant venture, following their first location in Gramercy Park (2008) and Ponty Bistro in Harlem (2014); sister locations include Ponty Bistro, PB Brasserie, and Harlem Cafe. The restaurant is privately held, founder-funded, and not backed by venture capital or private equity.

The business generates revenue across four streams: dine-in food and beverage sales (lunch, dinner, brunch, happy hour), takeout and pickup, off-premise catering, and in-house private party hosting. Menu pricing runs $8-$45 across food categories and $9-$22 across beverages; party and catering packages are priced $45-$85 per person with a $3,000 restaurant buyout minimum. Operating hours are extended at Mon-Fri 9:00 AM to 2:00 AM and Sat-Sun 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the storefront, phone-based pickup, ezcater for catering orders, and OpenTable/Yelp for reservations; marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, Instagram, Yelp), email, and the restaurant website (powered by SpotHopper).

The core technology stack is standard restaurant SaaS rather than proprietary infrastructure: SpotHopper (website, email marketing, job listings), OpenTable and Yelp (reservations), ezcater (catering orders), and Google Maps (directions). The brand's distinguishing features are its Senegalese-French fusion menu (signature dishes such as Dibi Lamb, Yassa, and cocktails including Harlem Romance and Bissap Martini), the chef-owners' Michelin pedigree, and an event/catering program that monetizes off-peak and group occasions. There is no evidence of AI/ML capability, no patents or trademarks on file, no external funding, and no M&A activity.

Name

Renaissance Harlem

Legal name

Renaissance Harlem

Website

https://renaissance-harlem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Renaissance Harlem is an upscale French-Senegalese fusion restaurant in Harlem, NYC, offering dine-in, takeout, catering, brunch, and private events. Founded by Executive Chef Owners Cisse Elhadji and Cheikh Ali Cisse, it serves local residents, visitors, and SMB event hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales: Traditional restaurant revenue from serving food and drinks to dine-in customers. Includes lunch, dinner, brunch, and happy hour service.
2. Takeout and Pickup: Revenue from takeout orders placed by phone or online
3. Catering Services: Off-premise catering for private events including birthdays, holiday parties, corporate events, and weddings. Packages range from $60-$85 per person with various menu options.
4. Private Events and Parties: Revenue from hosting private parties and events at the restaurant venue. Party packages available from $60-$85 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

No source-provided information is available describing what Renaissance Harlem fundamentally offers or sells.

Product overview

Renaissance Harlem is an authentic French-Senegalese restaurant in Harlem, New York City, operated by Executive Chef Owners Cisse Elhadji and Cheikh Ali Cisse. The restaurant offers a unified dining experience combining full-service dine-in restaurant with food and drink menus featuring French and Senegalese-inspired cuisine. The product portfolio includes: core Full-Service Restaurant Dining with food and drink menus, Catering Services for off-site events, Private Party Packages for in-house events, Brunch Service on weekends, Happy Hour specials, and Online Ordering/Pickup. The restaurant is open Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 2:00 AM and Saturday-Sunday 9:00 AM - 11:30 PM, located at 2245 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard, New York, NY 10030. The establishment also offers reservation booking through OpenTable and Yelp, catering ordering through EZ Cater, and private event hosting with various party packages ranging from $45-$85 per person.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OpenTablecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline reservation platform integration allowing customers to book tables directly through OpenTable. Provides booking widget on the restaurant website and mobile app availability.
• ezcatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party catering ordering platform that allows customers to order Renaissance Harlem catering for events and off-premise delivery.
• Ponty BistrominorOthersSister restaurant location in Harlem, second venture by Executive Chefs Cisse Elhadji and Cheikh Ali, opened in 2014.
• PB BrasserieminorOthersSister restaurant location, third venture alongside Ponty Bistro and Renaissance Harlem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sylvia's Restaurant: Iconic Harlem soul-food institution. Comparable on neighborhood draw, brunch program, catering, and private event hosting, though differentiated by cuisine tradition.
• Melba's Restaurant: Upscale Harlem comfort-food restaurant with strong brunch, catering, and event business. Comparable price tier, daypart mix, and Harlem tourist/local customer base.
• Harlem Cafe: Another Harlem venue operated by the same founding chefs. Comparable casual Harlem dining concept with shared back-of-house and customer base.
• Ponty Bistro Harlem: Sister restaurant opened by the same chef-owners in Harlem in 2014. Directly comparable concept (French-Senegalese influenced), same neighborhood, same operator playbook, and overlapping catering/event offerings.
• Lolo's Seafood Shack: Casual-upscale Harlem restaurant with strong weekend brunch, catering, and lively bar scene. Comparable daypart coverage and Harlem neighborhood traffic patterns.
• The Cecil Harlem: Upscale African-Asian influenced Harlem dining concept with bar/lounge and private events. Directly comparable on cultural-fusion cuisine positioning, Harlem address, and event-driven revenue mix.
• PB Brasserie: Sibling concept under the same chef-ownership group, also in Harlem. Closest comparable on menu style, price point, event programming, and target customer.
• Red Rooster Harlem: Marcus Samuelsson's flagship upscale-casual Harlem restaurant. Directly comparable on location, daypart coverage (brunch/dinner/late-night), cultural-heritage cuisine narrative, and event hosting.

Broad incumbents

• Le Bernardin: Michelin-starred fine-dining French restaurant in Midtown. Comparable on French culinary pedigree of the kitchen team and high-end private dining/events revenue, though at a materially higher price tier.
• Balthazar Restaurant: Iconic French brasserie in SoHo. Comparable on French-cuisine foundation, full-service dine-in plus retail bakery, large event/private dining capacity, and NYC tourist + local mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/14bFMXH8LeB
• Instagraminstagram.com/renaissancebistro132ndstreet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/renaissance-harlem

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Renaissance Harlem